The Final Strike
by Lily Hanson
Summary: This was it. Sarah could feel it in her bones. This was the end of her days as a Ranger. Whether or not she lived to tell the tale was still up in the air, but she knew, after this battle, it would be over.
1. The Escape

A few weeks after their identities were revealed, life for the Rangers was somewhat back to normal. There were enough teachers and students to justify reopening the school. Principal Hastings had returned, as well as Ms. Finch, Mick, who was never in question of leaving, and Levi offered to step up as a teacher as well. With the return of some of the students, the call was up to the mayor on whether to open the school and Sarah decided it was worthwhile. She and the Rangers needed an education, and everyone agreed that opening the school would inspire confidence that the city was still a safe place to be.

However, though life was back to normal, normal for a Ranger wasn't exactly normal for anyone else. Shane knew that better than anyone. He dragged himself out of bed, got himself ready and banged on his niece's door to wake her up.

"Madam Mayor, your city needs you," he called out. He did so every morning since she had decided to take on the position, but it still felt weird rolling off his tongue. "Get up, get dressed, get your ass in the kitchen for breakfast."

He heard Sarah's feet shuffling across the floor to her room. She opened the door and looked up at him.

"You didn't make it, did you?"

"Does it smell like I made it?" Shane asked. Sarah took a sniff, then smiled.

"Thank god."

"Don't be late for school," he told her. "And be careful out there. Oedius has been quiet for a while so…"

"I know, I know. She'll hit hard when she does," Sarah nodded. "You're off to work?"

"Gotta beat traffic," Shane nodded. Though he had been given time off to grieve his sister and to figure out how to be a uncle/parent, he did need to pay the bills and there was only so long he could be away from the Academy. With two mouths to feed now, he needed to get back to work. His friends were happy to have him back, and he was happy to be back. Unfortunately, the commute from Summer Cove to Blue Bay Harbour wasn't easy in the mornings, so Shane needed to leave early. "Have a good day."

"You too," Sarah called as he headed out the door. She got dressed and then walked out into the kitchen, where Preston already had her breakfast plated for her. Since his parents had kicked him out, and moved out of the city, he had nowhere to stay. Brody and Levi offered to let him come back to the house, but with their father around as well, it was starting to get a little cramped. Shane and Sarah didn't have another room, but they did have a couch with a pull-out. Preston was more than happy to take that, and Sarah was glad that he could cook.

She sat down for her breakfast and Preston sat with her.

"You don't have to do this every morning," she told him. "Despite what Kelly says, Shane does know how to work a toaster."

"Does he?" Preston chuckled. "Besides, it's how I feel like I'm helping out. I don't want to take advantage…"

"Of our pull-out bed?" Sarah laughed. "Preston, you're more than welcome here. And as much as I would hate to no longer wake up to pancakes and bacon every morning, you don't have to get up super early and cook for us."

"I kind of like doing it," Preston shrugged. "Besides, I won't have the money to hire cooks anymore so… I'll have to figure all this out."

"Seems like you already have."

"I hung out in the kitchen a lot," Preston nodded. "And there's no stain I can't tackle. You pick up on things when you spend more time with the hired help than you do your real parents."

"How are you holding up with that?" Sarah asked. Preston took a bite of his breakfast and shrugged.

"It's harder than I thought," he told her. "I guess, when I had it, I never realized how much I depended on money."

"So, you just miss the money?" Sarah asked. Preston gave his answer some thought as he took another bite of food.

"I guess I miss my parents too in a way. I mean, they weren't great, or even always there, but they were still my parents."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "I know that feeling."

"I'll bet you do," Preston said. It was then he noticed the time. He jumped up, grabbed his plate and Sarah's and placed them in the sink. "Shit, we're going to be late!"

"Can't have that," Sarah said. "We'll take my hoverboard, it'll be faster."

-Ninja-Steel-

Part of the deal with Sarah being mayor was that Gia would help out. While the yellow Ranger didn't have any experience running a city, she did work closely with the mayor of Angel Grove. She at least had an idea of what the job would entail, and a good sense of how every decision made would affect the city. The position was difficult for an adult who wanted it, never mind a teenager who already had a lot on her plate. Still, Gia was determined to make this go well.

Taking care of business while Sarah was in school was part of what she would do to ensure everything went well. She would review all the paperwork, all the requests from the city. If they looked good, she would pass them onto Sarah for a quick signature and a brief explanation of what they were, if Sarah asked. If they looked like they needed reviewing, she would either send them back, or she would bring them up to talk to with Sarah about what changes they would want to see done. It cut down on Sarah's work quite a bit, but did add a lot to Gia's day. She was in early in the mornings, and out late at night. She hadn't been spending much time with Ciara lately, and hoped that would change once she and Sarah got a better idea of the job and its routines. Otherwise, they would have to hire someone actually qualified to do the job. The problem was, in a city under attack, they weren't likely to find someone better.

It was business as usual today, though. Organizing city-wide clean ups, checking up on some programs that would teach the city about monster safety – something Gia hoped she could steal for the Silver Guardians and implement early into the next city that was attacked – and catching up on a few of the deals and jobs the previous mayor had left unfinished.

"Officer Holling?" one of the advisors called before he stepped into the office. Gia looked up, inviting him in. "You're not too busy, are you?"

"Depends on how urgent this is," Gia said and pointed to the stack of files on her desk.

"Pretty urgent, I'd say. At least, I'm sure the mayor might think so."

"She's in school," Gia said but waved the advisor over. The advisor dropped another file on her desk. It didn't take long for Gia to read the cover and know this matter was urgent.

"The women's prison?" she frowned. "You want to rebuild it?"

"If we have the funding. It's needed repairs for a while," the advisor nodded. "But at the very least, something needs to be done about security."

"I have officers filling in the gaps until we hire new guards."

"And that's working for the inmates who are still in prison," the advisor said. "But the warden's finally updated me with a list of inmates."

"Missing? And I'm just getting this now?"

"The women took advantage of the evacuation and the lack of guards to slip out. When your guardians arrived, they didn't know which cells were vacant and which were just empty. And it's not like the inmates are ready to talk. Took a while to round up the whole list, and then figure out who was who."

"Alright, and who is missing?"

"I've already updated your guardians on who to look for," the advisor said. "You shouldn't need to worry about that."

"So then why are you here?"

"There's one name on the list I know the mayor will want to see," the advisor said. Gia took out the list of names. It wasn't too long. It seemed despite the need to evacuate, and many of the prison guards fleeing town, most on the inmates had stayed where they belonged. Since the prison was already secure, there was no need for anyone to transfer. However, in the confusion, some inmates were able to slip out. Gia didn't care for the escapees. Either they would lay low, stay away from crime in order to avoid being caught again, or they would slip back into old habits and with her guardians already on the lookout for them, she was sure they would be found and caught quickly.

One name on the list did stand out, clear as day, from all the others.

"I need to make a call," Gia said and dialled Serena's number. She knew the white Ranger would be at the school, ready for work. She knew the white Ranger would be able to keep an eye out.

-Ninja-Steel-

Sarah and Preston were running a little later than usual for school, but they weren't late yet. Sarah stopped her hoverboard at the front steps as she and Preston hopped off. The blue Ranger went ahead into the school to collect his books from his locker, but Sarah hung back. She heard someone call for the mayor and felt there was time for her to take a quick question.

She hoped it was a quick question. She wasn't sure if it was her age, her gender, both, or something else entirely, but a lot of the civilians who had returned to Summer Cove felt that with her as mayor, they could tell her what needed to be done, instead of ask questions or make suggestions. Sarah did always take their words into consideration, but a lot of the times, the things they were demanding from her were a bit unreasonable.

However, when Sarah turned around, she realized this wouldn't be a question for the mayor. When she turned around, she felt she was staring at a ghost. It didn't make much sense to think the person before her was a ghost, since she wasn't dead, but that was how it felt to Sarah.

"What are…"

"Sarah, please just… hear me out," Kathryn said, very gently, as she held her hands up, showing she was unarmed and implying that she didn't want to hurt Sarah. "I just… I want a chance to talk."

"You… you should…"

"I should be in prison, I know. But I was hoping, since…"

"No."

"Sarah…"

"No."

"I just want to talk. I can arrange a real meeting, with both your parents there if you want. I just… I want a second chance."

"No."

"Sarah…" Kathryn moved in a little closer but saw her daughter tense up. She backed off a little then glanced at the school doors, where one of the teachers was coming out, phone against her face. The teacher looked directly at Kathryn and seemed to know right away she wasn't supposed to be there.

"Yeah, she's here. I got this, Gia," Serena said when she stepped out of the school and saw Sarah with Kathryn. She hung up the phone and walked down the steps. "You need to go."

"I really don't want to hurt anyone…"

"I don't think you understand," Serena said as she stepped between Kathryn and Sarah. "Not only are you a fugitive, you've been convicted of sex crimes against a minor. Just being on school property could get you into a whole world of trouble."

"I just want to talk to my daughter."

"You don't have a daughter," Serena growled. As much as she wanted to scare off Kathryn, she knew Gia would be on her way now. Arresting her, getting her back into prison would ensure she couldn't slip back into Sarah's life. While the pink Ranger could make the decision for herself what she wanted from her mother, prison was still where Kathryn needed to be. Any relationship repairs could happen with her still behind bars, if Sarah chose that.

Kathryn had lost any rights, and any say in her relationship with Sarah.

"Please," Kathryn begged. "Prison sucks."

"It's supposed to."

"We don't even have to talk here," Kathryn said. "I'm more than happy to set up a proper meeting, with Sarah's parents…"

"They're dead," Sarah growled. Serena turned around and pointed to the building.

"Get inside, alright? Tell Principal Hastings we've got a situation."

"I really don't want to cause any…" Kathryn trailed off when she saw a car pull into the driveway. She glanced over, recognized the truck and knew it was time to go. She started to run, prompting Gia, who was just getting out of her truck, to race after her.

"I got her. Keep an eye on the school!" Gia called out to Serena, who gave a nod and hurried inside. Principal Hastings was at the door with Sarah, looking out at what happened.

"Hold and secure," Principal Hastings said. "No need to further disrupt the students. But I don't want anyone going in or out of those doors."

As she went to close the school, Serena looked to Sarah.

"You okay, kid?"

"Isn't she supposed to be in prison?" Sarah asked. Serena nodded her head.

"Gia's on it. You know she'll put her right back," Serena pointed down the hallway, "What do you say we get to class? Try to get her off our minds?"

Sarah gave a little nod. School was just the distraction she would need.


	2. Mom Alert

It was one of the few times Kathryn would ever be happy she had been in prison. While locked up, there were very few things that Kathryn was free to do. Working out was about all she could do to pass the time when she wasn't in her cell. There was a library filled with books, but she had no interest in literature, especially since there was little funding and most of the books were old and falling apart. There was a rec room with a TV, but it usually just played the news on repeat, showing the same information repeatedly for the day. At the gym, Kathryn could work out, switch up her exercises and feel like she was accomplishing something with her time.

After decades of abusing her body by drinking, smoking, doing drugs and sleeping with any man willing to pay her, exercise felt like a breath of fresh air. Not literally, of course. The first couple of weeks she worked out it felt like hell, but with nothing else to do, Kathryn stuck with it. Eventually, she started to feel a bit better and stronger and suddenly, spending her days in the gym didn't just pass the time – it felt good.

Now, all that work was paying off. She knew she was supposed to be in prison. She knew escaping and running from the police would only add to her list of convictions, but she didn't care. She needed another chance.

When she saw Gia pull into the school parking lot, she put all the exercise to good use and ran. Gia was right on her tail, but Kathryn knew the Silver Guardian had underestimated her. Kathryn had even underestimated herself. While Gia sprinted towards the fugitive, thinking this wouldn't be a long chase because Kathryn had never been good about her health, Kathryn kept a quick, but steady pace, ducking and dodging Gia as much as possible until, suddenly, the guardian seemed to be falling further and further behind. Kathryn couldn't believe it and felt a second wind. She managed to lose Gia and hid inside a dumpster.

She didn't know how long it would be before Gia stopped looking around for her, so she waited quietly. She knew it was probably foolish to try and contact her daughter, especially after everything she had done, but it was her only shot.

Kathryn didn't hate her life. She grew up with a mother she didn't love, and a mother who didn't love her in return. Kathryn felt she could never do anything right and ran away from home as a result. Her mother, frustrated with Kathryn's behaviour, was glad to see her gone, and the few times Kathryn tried to return, turned her away.

Drex saved Kathryn from a life on the streets, and while sleeping with random men wasn't fun at first, Kathryn learned to make the best of it. She made more money working the streets than she ever would have made if she stayed home, and eventually, she proved her loyalty to Drex enough that she earned a bit more freedom than his other girls. She liked that power that she had.

When she was too old, and her former johns opted for a young girl than her, Kathryn needed a way to start making money again. While she and Drex had a good thing going between them, he did care more about the money that her. If she couldn't support herself – at least – then he was going to kick her out. Knowing she had a daughter, she tried to use Sarah. This life was good to her, so she had been sure that once she broke into it, Sarah would find some happiness here too.

That didn't go too well, but Kathryn tried again, which landed her in prison permanently until her escape.

She had few visitors. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her. Kathryn wasn't even sure her mother was still alive. Her son was also in prison. Drex was dead and Sarah… Kathryn knew her daughter would never come for a visit. She had her own family, with a new mother. One who, Kathryn hated to admit it, was much, much better than Kathryn could ever hope to be.

But one day, Kathryn did have a visitor. Bill, her former john, the father of her daughter, came to see her. Bill had screwed up big time with Sarah and was asking Kathryn how he could possibly let go of his daughter. While Kathryn had mocked him, laughing because he had fallen hard off his high horse, her conversation with him got her thinking about her children, and about how miserably she had failed them.

While most of her days in prison were spent in the gym, far more of that time was spent in her own head. She didn't regret the actions that caused her to be incarcerated. She was proud of the life she had led simply because it kept her alive. After Bill's visit, though, that pride did dwindle a bit. She thought of her children, about how badly she had messed up as a mother. While there was little hope to make things right with Thomas, since he was also in prison, she thought, maybe, she could try again with Sarah.

She knew it would be a long shot. Sarah wanted nothing to do with her, and Kathryn had no rights as a mother. She couldn't convince Sarah to talk to her anymore than she could convince her last jury that she was a good person down on her luck. However, this escape from prison, and her daughter serving as mayor of what was becoming a forgotten city by the State, might be the only real chance she had at a new life.

When she was sure Gia was gone, she climbed out of the dumpster. She wasn't sure where to go now. School was clearly off limits. She wasn't even allowed on the property due to her conviction.

She knew it was risky, but maybe heading down to the new Silver Guardian's HQ was the way to go. It was likely where Gia was headed, but Kathryn had to think, if she offered up some valuable information, maybe she could trade it for a sit-down with Sarah.

A life of freedom wouldn't mean much if she didn't get a chance at talking with Sarah, so she decided to take the risk. She could only hope she would be luckier now than before.

-Ninja-Steel-

Class sizes were much smaller. The whole school had lost a significant percentage of its population since the evacuation, but that wasn't especially obvious until the Rangers were in school. It was them, and a couple more students, including Victor and Monty.

It had a huge impact on the learning environment, though. The Rangers walked into their classroom thinking the day would go on as normal. Ms. Finch would teach a lesson, a little bit of work would get done, and then the bell would ring. However, something was very different.

Calvin had never excelled in school. He wasn't bad at it, but he did work hard to earn average grades. When he compared himself to Sarah, who couldn't read or write, and still, with little studying, could do twice as well as him on a test, it was a little disheartening. However, with the smaller class, Calvin felt more… engaged. Something about the lesson seemed different.

In math class, he got stuck. He remembered trying to follow the lesson and feeling absolutely lost. The formula he needed to learn was right in front of him, but he couldn't make sense of it at all. When he put up his hand to ask Ms. Finch for help, she came over.

Calvin was sure, while he asked for help, Preston had used magic on him. Ms. Finch reexplained the lesson, but this time, Calvin understood it a lot more. It was as if, suddenly, math made sense. He was able to complete the work before the end of the period, which often wasn't the case when he worked alone.

"Ms. Finch must be making these worksheets easier," Calvin said as he proudly put away his math binder in exchange for language. "Maybe with less kids, it's not worth teaching the hard stuff."

Hayley shook her head, "This is the same stuff we were doing before the evacuation."

"Yeah, but I get it now. She must have made the work easier, since there's less kids."

Hayley grabbed her binder again and flipped back to the last worksheet Mrs. Finch had given her before the evacuation. She held it up to Calvin, who frowned.

"Did you get two copies?"

"Calvin, we were doing a review."

"But… I finally get it."

"Mrs. Finch had the time to sit down with you and work one on one today," Kelly said. Calvin turned to look at her. "Smaller classes sizes mean more successful kids."

"Seriously?" Calvin asked, then held up Hayley's old worksheet up with his new one. "But it's the same lesson. How does there being less kids mean I do better?"

"Less kids means less disruptions. Ms. Finch was able to get through her lesson a little faster. That means there was more time for us to work, and more time for her to sit down with you and spend it one on one."

"How do you know all this?"

"Dad wrote an article about how we should consider reducing class sizes throughout the country," Kelly said. "He did all this research comparing how students in countries with smaller class sizes did compared to students here. It was wildly racist, though, so it never got published."

"Test scores were racist?" Calvin frowned.

"He did it with the intention of segregating schools again," Kelly said. "Is it really a huge surprise that even when he tries to do good, dad's still a racist, homophobic dick?"

"That makes sense," Calvin nodded his head.

"Wildly racist, but the research was good," Kelly said. "Smaller class sizes does mean more success."

"So I just might graduate with a better GPA?"

"You might?" Kelly nodded. She then saw Sarah coming from her locker down the hall. Since Ms. Finch had kept everyone focused and on task during their first period, Kelly had hardly gotten a minute to even say good morning to her girlfriend. However, by glancing over to where Sarah had been working with Serena, she could already tell that something seemed off. She was about to ask, but the bell rang, prompting the Rangers to head back to class for English.

"Guess I'll be doing better in this class too," Calvin smirked.

"Statistically speaking," Kelly said, then chuckled, "Hey, that's math! Guess it really is already working!"

As Hayley and Calvin led the way back to class, Kelly trailed back and waited for Sarah to catch up. When she did, Kelly moved with her, hoping to get a quick chat in before the class started.

"Everything good?" she asked. Sarah shook her head.

"Mom came by the school today."

"Your mom?" Kelly frowned. Sarah's mother was dead, blown up in the Romero workshop in one of Oedius' cruel attacks. It didn't make sense for her to be back. It made even less sense for her to return, and for the day to continue as normal.

"Kathryn, mom," Sarah clarified. "It's why no one can come in or leave the school."

"I wondered what that was about," Kelly frowned. "How did she get out of prison? Tiger or monsters haven't been near it."

"I… I don't know," Sarah said. "Serena doesn't know much either. She just promised to update me when Gia updated her. She said to keep the day going as normal, and they would keep mom away."

"Why did she come to the school?" Kelly asked. Sarah shrugged again. All she knew so far was that her mother wanted to talk. She didn't know what about. "If she's not in prison, you'd think she'd run for the hills."

The second bell rang as the girls walked into class, ending their conversation, However, Kelly was worried. Sarah's mother was not a good person. Having her free, especially if she would come looking for Sarah, could only spell trouble.


	3. Hold and Secure

HQ wasn't as elaborate as Kathryn thought it might be. It seemed to be under renovations and there wasn't a formal reception area for visitors. There wasn't even anyone working except for Gia. It made her easy to find, but also strictly reduced the number of witnesses for both of them. Whatever happened now, it was she said, she said as far as the rest of the city was concerned.

"You really are a whole different kind of stupid," Gia said when she noticed Kathryn. She started to make her way over, her hands reaching for the cuffs. "Kidnapping your daughter twice? Escaping prison and then walking right in here."

"I really do just want to talk," Kathryn said. She hoped that by not resisting the arrest, it would earn her some points. Gia slapped on the cuffs and pulled her into a chair.

"You lost all rights to talking when you kidnapped your daughter."

"I want to change," Kathryn said.

"You don't get to decide when you leave prison," Gia shook her head. "Even my daughter knows to serve the full time out."

"Fine. I want to make things right then," Kathryn said.

"Then stay away from your daughter."

"But…"

"Listen," Gia lowered herself, so she could looked Kathryn in the eye. "I don't have any sympathy for you. You're a vile woman and an even worse mother. What you did to those women, what you allowed Drex to do, especially to the girls that were underage…"

"What they choose to do with their bodies…"

"Scaring and beating people into making a choice isn't giving them a choice," Gia growled. "I can't feel sympathy for someone who doesn't believe that. And even if I could, you have to live with the choices you make, and you already made the choice that will cost you your daughter. Period."

"So that's what the justice system is," Kathryn said. "It's punishment, not rehabilitation."

"You had a chance for rehab, you refused it," Gia said. "When I'm done with this paperwork, I'm taking you back to prison."

"So, it's too late?" Kathryn argued. "Because I came to my senses later than you wanted me too, it's too late for me."

"What Sarah chooses when she's eighteen is up to her," Gia said. "But right now, I have to do what's in the best interest of the minor, and since Sarah's still only seventeen, it's up to her guardians to decide if you should be in her life or not. I can talk to her uncle, but I'm pretty sure he and I are on the same page."

"But…"

"Not to mention, Sarah made it very clear back at the school that she doesn't want to talk to you," Gia said. Kathryn wanted to argue that she should at least be given a chance to explain herself – to anyone who might listen – but she didn't get the chance. Gia's phone rang and the Silver Guardian turned her back to answer it. Kathryn thought about taking advantage to break out and run, but decided she had to be a woman of her word if she wanted a real chance.

Gia answered the phone with a frustrated growl, which only calmed when she heard it was her daughter's voice.

"Mommy's busy at work, Cece. Is this an emergency?"

"_The monsters are outside, mama,"_ Ciara answered. Gia frowned deeply.

"Monsters? Where's Auntie Emma?"

"_The monsters took her," _Ciara said. _"She told us to hide in the closet. Joe is scared."_

"The monsters too Auntie Emma? Which monster?"

"_The white fox."_

"Stay where you are, Ciara. Don't make any noise," Gia told her daughter. "I'm coming, alright. I'll be there very, very soon."

"_I'm scared too, mama."_

"I'll be there soon," Gia promised. "I have to hang up now, baby, but I'll be right there. Stay in the closet until I'm home."

"_Soon?"_

"I'll be home soon," Gia assured her daughter, then hung up the phone, grabbed her jacket and then grabbed Kathryn by the arm. "You're coming with me. But if you say a word to either of my kids, I'll make sure it's life with no parole for all your convictions. Do you understand?"

Kathryn gave a nod. Judging by the way Gia spoke on the phone, she assumed it was her daughter she had spoken to. She knew this had to be an emergency and figured if she made trouble, Gia would surely follow through on her threat.

So, she didn't protest at all when Gia practically dragged her out to her truck and tossed her in the back. She didn't complain that sitting in the car with her hands cuffed behind her back were uncomfortable, and she said nothing about the reckless drive they took out of the city and into Harwood County.

She did however comment when she saw something she was sure Gia would want to know about.

"There are a lot of those monsters around."

"Yeah, I'm getting the flashbacks," Gia muttered. She did see the Basherbots and the Kudabots flooding the city, and the closer they got to home, the more of them there were. But she only had one thing on her mind right now and that was getting to her daughter and nephew. With Jake travelling for soccer and Emma apparently taken by Oedius, there was no one to look after them.

However, all these monsters in the city were reminding her of when the Armada had taken over. She had to think Oedius was trying something similar.

Why she needed Emma for that, Gia couldn't tell. Not that it mattered. The kids were most important.

She pulled into her driveway and rushed out of her car. She opened the back door for Kathryn and pulled her out, before ordering that the older woman follow her. She wouldn't let Kathryn use this as a distraction to run.

She made her way inside Emma's house. There was nothing out of place. Gia didn't like that it meant Emma probably didn't put up a fight, but that also meant she likely went peacefully to avoid putting the kids in harm's way.

Ciara had mentioned that she and Joe were hiding in a closet. Gia checked the one in the front hall first, but it was empty. So, she raced upstairs to Joe's bedroom and opened that one. Joe and Ciara were huddled together, holding each other for comfort as they waited quietly for Gia to arrived as promised. They jumped a little when the door opened suddenly, but they were relieved when they saw her and jumped into her arms.

"Mama!" Ciara called out. Gia picked them both up and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw they were okay.

"Did Oedius take Emma?" Gia asked. Joe and Ciara both nodded their heads.

"Mama's gone," Joe answered. "She sayed to hide."

"And you did such a good job," Gia told him with a smile. "You're both excellent hiders."

"You're gonna find mama?" Joe asked her. Gia nodded her head.

"I'll do everything I can," she turned to Kathryn, who had followed her through the house and, just like Gia had asked, didn't say a word to the kids. Joe and Ciara noticed her too and asked about her, but Gia brushed it off.

"It's just someone I work with," she told them. It was the best way to describe Kathryn without telling the kids, who just watched Emma be kidnapped, that Kathryn was a criminal. Then Gia looked to Kathryn. "We'll head back to Summer Cove."

"And you'll drop me off at the prison?"

"I don't have time for that right now. There's a cell in HQ. You'll stay there."

"If I'm good, do I get to see my daughter?"

"Sure," Gia said, mostly because she knew if there was incentive to behave, Kathryn would be more likely to follow orders and stay out of the way than if Gia told her the truth, which was no.

Gia packed the car. This time, Kathryn sat in the front seat while Gia had the car seats for Ciara and Joe in the back. She got the kids settled and promised she would find Emma as quickly as possible before she started to drive back to HQ. On the way, she warned Troy about the Kudabots and Basherbots that were flooding the city. He responded a few minutes later.

"_We're pretty overwhelmed. I've already morphed and it's not enough."_

"Call the others for backup. Rebecca and the Rangers…"

"_I have. Harwood is under siege. There's no getting in or out."_

"Harwood's under siege? By Oedius?"

"_Looks like."_

"Why?"

Gia reached the city limits and saw what Troy said to be true. The road was blocked by bots. Anyone looking to go into the city, or flee from it, were being turned away. Some listened out of fear of being attacked by monsters while others tried to push back, resulting in the monsters handing out a good beating. Gia wanted to get out of the car to stop it, but she couldn't leave Kathryn in the front seat alone with the kids, and with so many bots, she was outnumbered. Troy had already told her that morphing wasn't doing enough.

She stopped the car in the road, turning it sideways to block the path for other cars, keeping them away from the city limits. She hated to do this, but while the Basherbots on duty were busy beating up a man who refused to turn back into the city under siege, she grabbed the kids and told Kathryn to follow her.

She needed to get to Summer Cove. It would be safer for the kids and she could work with the Rangers to stop whatever Oedius had planned. Fortunately, she knew Harwood County like the back of her hand. Every city she had under her watch as a Silver Guardian, she had memorized the plans for. She knew every main road, every back road, every sidewalk, bike path, dirt trail, and unpaved road. She knew where all the buildings lined up and the alleys between them. Having an eidetic memory made it easy for her to keep those city plans in the back of her mind, and call them up whenever she needed to move around the city.

So, while the Basherbots and Kudabots had all the big exits covered, Gia knew a small path out of the city where she could slip out. She told both the kids to stay close to her and stay quiet as she walked them around danger. Kathryn followed, still cuffed. Gia started to wonder if it might be better to take the cuffs off. It might result in Kathryn fleeing, but also, if they ran into trouble and Kathryn was on the level about being a better person, having her free to help might just be the difference between getting home and getting beaten up.

Especially when Gia noticed that Summer Cove was looking more like Harwood. Basherbots and Kudabots had this city under siege as well. They were walking the streets, keeping people inside their homes or offices. Clearly, Madam Oedius hadn't changed her plans to invade Harwood instead of Summer Cove. She had both cities under her thumb.

"Can I trust you?" Gia asked. The kids were already getting tired of walking and were scared for Emma. If she could use Kathryn, it would be a huge help. Kathryn nodded her head.

"I just want to talk to my daughter. As long as you promise I will, you can trust me."

"I promise," Gia said, without thinking about it. She could break that promise later, if she needed. Right now, if it helped her get her kids to safety, she would promise Kathryn a meeting with Sarah, the key to the city, and a million bucks.

She unlocked the cuffs and half expected Kathryn to run, but she didn't. Kathryn rubbed her wrists, where the cuffs had chaffed her slightly, then looked to Gia for the next instruction. Gia picked up both kids, knowing they could move faster if she didn't have to worry about them keeping up.

"We're headed back to the school," Gia said. "We'll meet with the Rangers there, get to their base, and figure out what to do then."

"I can talk to Sarah when we're there?"

"You won't breathe a word to her until I say so," Gia said. "We have a potential final battle on our hands and…"

"Final battle?"

"It's what we call the… final battle," Gia told her. "You know, the fight where one team lives, the other team dies. Ideally, Rangers win."

"Makes sense."

"We're not distracting Sarah now with your twelve-step apology bullshit," Gia growled at Kathryn.

"This isn't just some twelve-step process. If it helps, I haven't stopped using in prison."

"It doesn't," Gia shook her head.

"I can tell you my supplier," Kathryn offered. "I mean it. I'll do anything you want, just for that talk with Sarah."

"Then follow me, keep your eyes open for monsters and when you see Sarah, don't engage at all until _I_ say so."

Kathryn nodded her head. At least she wasn't headed back to prison just yet. There was still a chance she got to talk with her daughter.

-Ninja-Steel-

While the hold and secure was still in place, the school day felt rather normal. The only difference was that the students couldn't leave at lunch time to grab a bite to eat, and so had to settle on either a packed lunch, or the food from the cafeteria. Principal Hastings didn't want to lift the hold and secure until she got word that Kathryn was back in custody and wouldn't return to the school.

Unfortunately, the end of the day proved rather difficult. With the hold and secure still in place, Principal Hastings wanted the parents of any minor students to come pick up their kids. She couldn't just dismiss the students like on a regular day. Before that could happen, though, Principal Hastings got word that there was something else happening in the city which would make dismissal even more complicated.

"Monsters?" she asked and looked to Mick, who had been the one to reveal the news. He figured since all the Ranger identities were revealed, it was safe enough for him to out himself to Principal Hastings as well. He was working with the Rangers, keeping tabs on the city, and right now, there were Basherbots and Kudabots everywhere. Mick could only assume Oedius was planning something big and assumed letting kids out into the city would only increase the number of casualties.

"I'm keeping my eye on it so far," Mick told her.

"But you're telling me I can't let the students go?"

"I don't think it's wise," Mick said. "Oedius has never had this many monsters into the city before. Until we know what she's planning, it's probably best that we keep as many people out of the city as possible."

"Great… this is just great," Principal Hastings sighed. Keeping kids busy during the school day wasn't much added work. The students were supposed to be in school and in class. Lunch time was a bit chaotic, with Hastings having to remind students that they couldn't leave for lunch, but at least that was only for the hour, then it was back to class.

With a hold and secure still in place, and monsters threatening every corner of the city, she was likely going to be stuck with the students, and the teachers, for the foreseeable future, and she had no idea what to do to keep everyone busy and, more importantly, calm.

"I'm getting the Rangers out there now," Mick assured her. "Hopefully, it's only a couple of hours, max, before this is resolved."

"You're sure?"

"No," Mick answered honestly. "But I'm optimistic."

"Lucky you," Hastings said and then sighed loudly. "I guess… I'll find a movie or something to put on in the library, and we can have a couple of the coaches organize a few games in the gym."

"You take care of that, I'll take care of the city."

"Please do it quickly," Hastings begged. Mick gave her a nod, then headed down to shop class, where he would go meet up with the Rangers in Ninja Ops to discuss what was happening.


	4. Team Meeting

It wasn't that there were a lot of students in the school. In fact, there was less than half than there was before, since most families opted not to return to Summer Cove given all the trouble the monsters had caused over the years. However, there were still students in the school. Teenagers who were eager to leave and didn't like to be told to stay in school.

Principal Hastings did what she could. She set up a movie for the students to watch in the library, there were some sports happening in the gym, for the more active kids, and Principal Hastings was ensuring she went room to room, checking on kids who wanted to use this time to get some school work done.

Since this wasn't regular hours, a lot of kids felt like they were in a free for all. The rules of the school didn't apply. They were stuck here, against their will, and should be allowed to do what they wanted. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't the case. Principal Hastings was still responsible for their wellbeing and needed to remind them, several times, to behaviour.

"Little monsters," she muttered after a confrontation with a couple of students who had been using their desks as a foot rest. She sighed loudly, tried to regain her composure before she entered the next classroom. On her way, in the hall, she saw Serena talking with another student, assuring them that the school was a safe place and promising that the Rangers were doing their best.

Principal Hastings didn't want to interfere with Serena's work. She had hired her as a support to the students. This was the job she was qualified for. However, she did watch as Serena calmed the student and let them return to their study room. Serena worked closely with the students who had revealed themselves to be Rangers, and like Mick, would often cover for them if they had to run out of class. Principal Hastings felt a little stupid that she never put the pieces together before now, but it was surprising to her that the Rangers protecting the whole planet from aliens monsters were kids in high school. She never imagined they were her kids.

"Did you know?" she asked Serena, who looked a little confused.

"Know what?"

"About the Rangers?"

"I… I did," Serena nodded. "Working closely with Sarah, I had a lot of questions at first about her disappearing, asking me to cover for her. Eventually, she told me."

Serena didn't want to share that she knew because she was a Ranger herself. Her identity was still secret and for the sake of her team, she wanted to keep it that way. She figured since she was here to work with Sarah specifically, it would make sense that she found out.

"So, three teachers who worked here knew who the Rangers were, one being a Ranger himself, and no one thought to tell me?"

"You never asked," Serena shrugged.

"So, if I had, you would have said something?"

"No," Serena answered honestly. "But, to be fair, you remember all the trouble that it caused when Sarah was outed. It was just easier for the Rangers to work without all that hassle. The fewer people who knew, the better."

"I'd like to me made aware of everything that's happening in the school," Principal Hastings told her. "We're lucky none of their parents have tried to sue us over this."

"The school isn't responsible for this," Serena shook her head.

"Regardless, no more secrets. This is my school, I should know what's happening."

"You're right," Serena said at the same moment her phone rang. She looked to Hastings, who nodded and let her answer it. "Gia, what's going on? How's the city?"

"_Monsters took Emma."_

"What?"

"_I just got to Ninja Ops. I have the kids. Can you meet us there?"_

"I…" Serena looked to Principal Hastings. "Uh, that's Gia. Monsters just kidnapped her sister and her husband isn't in town so she has the kids. We need to deal with this."

"You have to go? Mick's already taken off, Levi's one of the Rangers… I don't have too many teachers left."

"I wouldn't go if it wasn't important," Serena told her. She gave Principal Hastings a quick, apologetic look before racing off to Shop Class. There, she used the secret entrance to take herself to Ninja Ops.

The Rangers were already there with Gia, Mick, RedBot, as well as Ciara and Joe. Kathryn was off in the corner, keeping out of the way. Seeing the kids, Serena gave them a bright smile as they ran into her arms.

"Auntie Serena!"

"My little monkeys," Serena smiled. Though she and Gia were close, it had been a while since she had seen the kids. After the hug, she took a step back and looked to them with a smirk. "Holy smokes, you're gotten so big! Did you grow?"

"Yes," Joe answered happily. Ciara held up three fingers.

"Three whole inches."

"Wow!" Serena said, then pointed to the TV, "How about you stunt that growth a little by sitting in front of the TV while the grown ups talk?"

Happily, the kids made their way over to the couch, then proceeded to fight over who would get the remote, even though they liked the same shows. Serena walked over to the table where the others were gathered.

"Oedius took Emma?" she asked.

"Seems like it," Gia said.

"Any reason why?" Brody asked her. "Seems pretty random to me."

"It felt random at first," Gia nodded her head. "But then I remembered… Princess Emma."

"Who?" Hayley asked.

"Do you think Oedius knows about her?" Serena looked to Gia, who shrugged.

"The whole universe knows about her."

"Who is Princess Emma?" Levi asked.

Gia sighed, "When we were Rangers, we fought against Prince Vekar. At one point, he decided to take a wife and he chose Emma. They got married."

"Emma married a monster?"

"Brain control," Gia said, then pointed her finger at Serena. "She almost married one on her own free will."

"We didn't almost get married. Just… lived together and had a kid," Serena argued. Gia rolled her eyes.

"To make Emma compliant, Vekar used brain control but it really backfired. Princess Emma was terrible, especially to him. She ruled with an iron fist, and anyone who stood in her way felt her wrath. She's how I got my robo-heart."

"Your what?"

"My robo-heart," Gia explained. "Princess Emma shot me in the chest, and the wound was so bad, my heart pretty much crapped out. Tensou, our RedBot, saved me by using one of Robo-Knight's replacement hearts and adapting it to work in my body. My heart is completely robotic."

"Cool," Sarah smiled.

"Vekar was still in command, and had more power than Emma," Gia continued to say. "But Emma was so ruthless, and the Armada preferred that to the crybaby, so she managed to lock up the prince in his own dungeon. He was not happy about that. Princess Emma started her rule there, and she was so evil, that other Armadas and galaxies fear just her name. She gets peace offerings all the time, even though she isn't brainwashed anymore."

"Do you think Oedius wants to use that fear?" Brody asked.

"She might. That's the only reason I can think for why she would take Emma in the first place," Gia shrugged. "But we're not going to let her get away with this."

"She won't get away with anything," Sarah agreed. "Oedius has had the upper hand for way too long. If she's really taken over the city, then we have no choice but to ramp things up."

"Are you saying we end it?" Kelly asked her girlfriend. Sarah nodded her head.

"Look at what she's done. Your dad's dead because of her schemes. She killed Anne and she dropped a building on both my parents. When our identities were revealed, she took advantage of the chaos and as a result, killed so many people needlessly. If we don't stop her now, there's no telling what else she might do."

"And it won't be good," Calvin added.

"The whole city is under siege," Gia told the Rangers. "She's definitely taking a page from the Armada playbook. Last time this happened, all the Rangers teamed up…"

"That's not happening this time," Serena said. "Last time, we all managed to get in _before_ the Armada completely invaded. This time, Oedius was too quick and too subtle to call in reinforcements."

"We have Shane," Sarah reminded the team. "And you two."

"Dad can help out too," Brody offered. "He doesn't have access to his Ranger powers anymore but I'm sure he can help out somehow."

"But what do we do?" Hayley asked. "Fight off all the monsters, one by one, until we're too tired to finish off Oedius, or do we seek her out."

"Depends on what she's expecting us to do, I guess," Levi said. "If she wants us to challenge her, she'll be ready for it."

"So… then we're back to my question," Hayley said. "What do we do?"

"Uh… I don't mean to interrupt," Kathryn said, reminding the others that she was still there in the room, sitting quietly like she had been told. "But… I think the city is expecting a word or two from the mayor about this."

The Rangers all looked to Kathryn, who was pointing at the TV. When she looked to see what had caught her attention, they saw the kids had flipped the channel to the news, where the reporter was standing outside the Silver Guardian's HQ, asking if Sarah would soon put out a statement telling the city what they could expect in this siege.

"I guess I have work to do," Sarah said with a sigh. "Downside to being mayor."

"Is there an upside?" Kelly asked.

"I'll go with you," Gia told her, then turned to Serena. "Can you watch the kids?"

"I got them. Go keep people feeling safe. Last thing we need during a siege is a riot."


	5. A Valuable Tool

This was it. The whole city was under siege. Oedius had her Kudabots and her Basherbots patrolling the streets and the Rangers were sure that they were ordered to kill anyone who resisted against their demands. Oedius hadn't made it clear what her demands were, but no one wanted to take any risks. She had already proven herself to be a huge threat.

Despite all this, as mayor, Sarah still had a job to do. With the city panicking it was up to her to keep people calm. They needed a plan. They needed to know they would be taken care of. As mayor, Sarah was their leader and right now, people needed direction.

Sarah wasn't too sure what to say and there wasn't a lot of time to prepare. Still, she had to say something. She addressed the city from the Silver Guardian's HQ over a live feed. She was sure Oedius could watch her as well, but her concern was for the public, and she did her best not to spill any of the information she wanted to keep out of Oedius' hands.

The most important thing, she stressed, was that the streets and downtown be kept clear of people. Sarah insisted they stay where they were, whether it was the school, their homes, their offices, or malls. If they were indoors, it was safer than travelling. She promised the Silver Guardians would do their best to deliver food, water and other goods, but asked that people ration out anything they got. If Oedius attacked, it would only be safe for the Rangers to be on the street, and even then, that was questionable. People could be trapped where they were for days or months. Sarah stressed the importance of patience.

She stressed too that the Rangers would take care of the threat. This was their city and they were going to fight for it. If Oedius attacked, they would be there. Sarah wanted the city to know the Rangers were fighting for them, even in the darkest hour.

When the speech was finished, Gia turned off the camera and smiled at the pink Ranger.

"I think that went well."

"Would have been nice to see their reaction, though," Sarah told her. "It's hard to know if that was helpful or just raised more questions."

"Safer than gathering everyone in one spot for a huge speech," Gia said. As she started to pack up some things, gathering a few weapons and gear to bring back to Ninja Ops, she had to step out of the room. Since Kathryn had been so quiet and followed instructions since meeting with Gia, the yellow Ranger had forgotten that she was sitting in the corner.

Kathryn knew she wasn't supposed to talk to Sarah until she got the okay from Gia, but since they were alone, she felt maybe that meant Gia had learned to trust she was telling the truth. She figured a couple of words couldn't hurt.

"I think you did great," Kathryn said. Sarah looked to her, uneasy. She knew her mother was around, and knew that she was supposed to stay with Gia until it was safe for her to be locked up in prison again. In the meantime, things were awkward. Sarah wanted nothing to do with her. Though Jenny was gone, and she was without a mother, she would never replace her, especially not with Kathryn.

Sarah turned away. She didn't want to talk to Kathryn. The woman had raised her in a brothel for four years, knowing Sarah could have had a safer and better life with her father in that time. She had kidnapped Sarah and tried to force her into prostitution, as well as allowing a man to attempt to "break her in".

Kathryn was not a good woman. It didn't matter if she wanted to make amends. Sarah did not need her mother in her life.

Kathryn wouldn't give up. She knew this would be an uphill battle. She had done a lot wrong. As hard as she worked to screw up, she would have to work twice as hard, if not more, to make things right.

"Even as a mayor and a Ranger, there's only so much you can do for people," Kathryn continued. "I think you were pretty clear you would do your best, but people have to help themselves too. That should go a long way."

"No one asked you," Sarah said. As the same time, Gia came back. She turned to Kathryn and glared.

"Mouth shut," she growled. Kathryn nodded her head and returned to silently shadowing Gia, hoping that by the time they had a chance to head to the prison, Gia would have changed her mind.

"I've got some supplies. We shouldn't need to come back here," Gia told the pink Ranger.

"You know, those guns are nothing compared to our Ranger weapons, right?" Sarah asked with a chuckle as Gia packed up the weapons. "And the vests won't do much against Oedius' powers or weapons."

"Better than nothing," Gia shrugged. "Besides, this isn't just for monsters."

"People?"

"You've done what you can to keep them safe," Gia assured Sarah. "Some of them are still going to try and take matters into their own hands. It's instinct. Sadly, I can't let their instincts interfere with the fate of the planet."

"You'll kill them?"

"That's a very last resort. This is mostly just intimidation," Gia promised Sarah. "Ideally, no one dies."

"But…"

"I've lived through this before," Gia said. "I was lucky we didn't run into anyone stupid enough to risk my life back then. But just because that didn't happen in Harwood, doesn't mean it won't happen now."

"Better safe than sorry."

"Let me worry about the civilians, anyway," Gia told Sarah. "You keep your focus on Oedius."

-Ninja-Steel-

Emma woke up in what was basically a box. She could see out, so she could guess where she was. She could see who had abducted her, but she was a little blurry on the details.

She remembered Oedius breaking into her home. She had been watching the kids at the time and spotted Oedius and her monsters through the window. Not wanting anything to happen to Joe or Ciara, she instructed the kids to hide in the closet. She told them to call Gia for help and not to leave the closet until Gia was home. The kids were good at following instructions, so Emma was sure that as long as they hide, and she kept Oedius busy, the kids would be safe.

Just as they made it upstairs, Oedius broke into the house. Emma didn't have her morpher on her. It was tucked away safely in a drawer. Long gone were the days where it was always a habit to keep her morpher on her person.

Oedius demanded Emma's cooperation. She wanted to take Emma back to her ship. The pink Ranger wasn't sure why, and while normally she would refuse, regardless of the reason, Emma couldn't risk anything happening to the kids. She didn't want to make it too easy for Oedius, but after a little back and forth, she gave up.

She was glad her faith in Gia was still strong. By now, Emma was sure that Joe and Ciara were safe with Gia. By now, Emma was sure that Gia was looking for her, doing her best to get here before anything bad could happen. Right now, Emma needed to do her part. She needed to stay alive and if possible, she needed information.

"You're finally up," Oedius said as Emma rose to her feet. The pink Ranger nodded her head.

"We're on your ship?" Emma asked. Oedius nodded her head.

"We are."

"Why?"

"I know of Princess Emma," Oedius told her. "And I plan on using you to get what I want with this planet."

"I thought your thing was the Power Stars," Emma said. "You want the Stars and you don't care what happens otherwise."

"Plans change. People grow," Oedius smiled. "I have to say, though it is quite primitive, I have grown fond of this planet. There's much to be desired but… it is a planet unlike any other I've seen."

"So, Power Stars and world domination, then?" Emma asked.

"With a planet this primitive, the possibilities of growth are endless. I can do whatever I want, rule however I want. I can turn this planet into whatever I want. I just need the Rangers out of the way."

"Princess Emma won't help you," Emma shook her head. "She's long gone, and even if she wasn't, Gia knows better than to give up this planet just for me."

"Foolish human, I don't actually need your help," Oedius said. "You don't have to do anything except remain on this ship."

"What?"

"Your reputation precedes you," Oedius told her. "Everyone knows of Prince Vekar and his marriage to you. Everyone knows how you claimed power and wreaked havoc in such a short amount of time. I've seen galactic champions who have taking longer to make a name for themselves in a single city than you have with this whole universe."

Emma knew what she meant. Princess Emma had been ruthless, even going as far as trying to kill her best friend. It was only because of Tensou and technology far beyond anything Earth could ever think to understand that the attempt at murder wasn't successful. Planets and galaxies still feared Princess Emma, terrified that if they upset her, that they would suffer her wrath. Even those who didn't fear her, kept out of her way, opting not to engage in anything that would potentially wipe them and their people out.

Oedius wasn't one of them, it seemed. Oedius seemed to know Emma wasn't who her reputation claimed she was. Instead, Emma was the perfect tool. She was no more powerful than any single Ranger, and Oedius was confident she could handle the seven, but her reputation would be enough to keep anyone else from interfering with her plans.

"You see, once this planet's defenders are wiped out, there are a lot of armies who are ready to cash in. While primitive, Earth does have a rich bounty, and people are always looking to expand their kingdoms, their rule, their name. No one says that just because I do all the hard work, that means I get to keep this planet. All's fair in war."

"So, I'm your invasion repellent?" Emma frowned, then shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, but since becoming Princess Emma, we've had four monsters try to take over this planet, knowing I live here."

"Sledge was just looking for a payday. That baffoon would travel anywhere if he thinks it might earn him a pretty penny," Oedius rolled her eyes. "Snide was more bark than bite and Galvanax was only thinking about the Power Stars. Those idiots are just that. Idiots."

"You really think keeping me in a cage is going to work?" Emma asked. Oedius gave a little nod.

"I really do. But why don't we worry about whether or not I'm right after I've finished with this planet. You're lucky enough to get a front row seat."

"I won't help you."

"I didn't expect you would," Oedius smirked.


	6. Someone Who Cares

Gia and Sarah returned to Ninja Ops, with Gia carrying the weapons and gear she hoped she wouldn't need. While being in a siege was concerning, and the Rangers were sure the city would want to see them try and chase away the monsters holding them hostage, the Rangers felt it was better to wait. Right now, as long as everyone stayed off the streets, no one was getting hurt. The Rangers weren't going to waste their energy when they knew there was more coming. Oedius hadn't even reached out to them yet. They knew if she felt she was winning, she would at least try to brag.

"You brought guns?" Calvin's mother asked. The Maxwells hadn't headed to Sarah's warning to stay off the streets. The city was in danger and they knew their son would be one of the Rangers fighting to save it. They had to be with him. They had to do what they could.

Shane and Dane had escorted them, as well as Aaron, to Ninja Ops, deciding that was safer than letting the worried parents make their way by themselves.

Gia looked to Mrs. Maxwell and nodded her head. "Can't be sure what anyone is going to do."

"But guns?" she asked.

"I don't like it either," Sarah said. "But if it's guns that keep people from getting in our way, then it's for the best. I'd rather not lose to Oedius because I was too busy keeping one idiot safe."

"Thus, guns," Gia said. "Don't worry, this is for me only."

"And me," Shane offered. Gia handed over one of the bags, but Sarah grabbed it.

"No way," she said and shook her head. "You're going to be much more help here, with all the other parents."

"Sarah, I've been here before," Shane assured her. "I can handle myself."

"So morph."

"You know I can't."

"No morphing, no battling," Sarah told him.

"I'm a Sensei at the Wind Ninja Academy," Shane insisted. "I'm a former Ranger. I think, against a couple of monsters, I can handle myself."

"I'm also down to my last parent," Sarah said to him. "If anything happens to you, I'm either stuck living with my grandparents, who as much as I love, I can only handle visits, or Porter."

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"That's what both my parents said," Sarah said. "When dad took me in, he insisted he would always be around. That I would never have to worry about losing him, and then it happened twice. When mom had to take over, she said the same thing and she's not around anymore. I'm sick and tired of grieving, so don't make me do it again."

Shane sighed loudly. He didn't like being sidelined, especially when he knew he could help. While he didn't have his Ranger powers, he did still have powers, and he was still trained. While many Rangers kept a training routine after retiring, Shane had the benefit of being a Sensei. Preparing for battles, for survival was part of his job. He felt as ready for a fight now as he did when he was the red Ranger.

But Sarah looked up at him, begging he stay safe. Then he glanced over at Kathryn, watching this exchange. He wasn't sure what she wanted, or why she thought she would find any success in getting it, but her presence here was a threat. Right now, he stood between her and Sarah. If she wanted custody, she would have to fight against him to get it.

If anything happened to him, Sarah would be fair game. He hadn't had a chance yet to prepare a will. Legally, he had no say in what would happen to Sarah if anything happened to him, and while he was sure the odds of a drug-addicted, sex working, convicted felon's chances of getting her daughter were minimal, Shane didn't want to run that risk.

As much as he hated it, the safest thing for Sarah wasn't protecting her on the battlefield. The safest thing would be giving her the peace of mind that when this was all over, she would get to go home.

"You can be our eyes and ears," Mick said, coming over and handing Shane a communicator. "We still have access to the city cameras and your experience can help the Rangers navigate danger, when it comes up."

"Mission control?" Shane rolled his eyes, but he took the communicator. He never envied Cam's job working from Ninja Ops, instead of on the battle field. At least now, he would have a better appreciation for what his green Ranger used to do. "Alright, I'll do it. But Sarah…"

"I'll be safe," Sarah promised him.

As Shane and Sarah sorted themselves out, Kelly watched them. As they reached their solution, Kelly glanced around. Calvin was also talking with his parents, preparing them for what might come, promising that he would be safe as well. Hayley was doing the same thing with her father. While he had more time to get used to his daughters being in the spandex, this was still a big deal.

Brody and Levi were talking strategies with their father. It seemed they didn't quite have the same reservations as Sarah with him joining the fight. Like Shane, he didn't have Ranger Powers, but he was still a trained Ninja. Kelly wasn't sure what they were asking him to do, but at least they seemed to all agree on it.

Then she turned to Preston. She saw the blue Ranger had done the same as her. He was just sitting and watching the others talk with their parents, going over what might happen. Like her, he watched his friends all promise people who loved them that they would be coming home.

"The city is under siege," she told Preston. Her parents were dead. They couldn't come. Preston's parents were alive and well.

"Don't make excuses for them," he shook his head.

"It's the truth."

"But that's not why they aren't here. Check the borders, I'll bet they aren't even trying to get in," Preston said, then he turned and looked at Kelly. "It's fine, though."

"Is it?" Kelly asked. Preston sighed.

"I guess I'll figure that out after," he said. "What to do, I mean. I can't keep crashing with Sarah and Shane."

"That's what I thought," Kelly said. "When I moved in with the Fosters, I was sure it was just temporary. Next thing I knew, they build me a room in the basement. Nothing says permanent like a major renovation."

"I'm glad that worked out for you," Preston told her. "But… I don't think that'll work for me. Staying with Sarah and her uncle… I don't even think the arrangement between them is permanent."

"You don't?"

"Sarah will be going off to college after school, right?" Preston asked and Kelly nodded her head. That was still the plan. Whether Sarah would go off to an elite school, or choose to stay with something more local was still up in the air, but post-secondary was definite. "What's Shane going to do with his day when she's off studying?"

"What he does when she's in school now," Kelly said.

"But it's the start of our own independence," Preston told her. "Shane will have a chance to get back to work full time, Sarah will be able to go to school full time. They won't want me holding them back."

"Are you going to school?" Kelly asked. Preston shrugged.

"I don't know. When my parents were supporting me, the plan was always for me to take business classes at the school my dad went to. He insisted I'd take over the family empire and I didn't have the courage to tell him I really didn't want to. Now that it's for sure not happening… I can do my own thing."

"Magic."

Preston smiled, "I know it's not going to pay the bills too well, especially at first, but I would like it if, for once, I get to do what I want."

"I guess I can relate to that," Kelly said. "It's not the same, but it was so freeing being able to go home and tell my parents how my dates went."

"I'll figure something out," Preston promised Kelly. "As for right now, if my parents didn't make the effort to come, I probably shouldn't waste too much time thinking about them, either."

"Promise you'll be safe?" Kelly asked him. She figured, since everyone else had someone to worry about them, she could at least let Preston know that she was thinking of him. He wasn't alone, and there was someone who cared for him.

"I will if you do," Preston said. Kelly smiled and nodded her head. At the same time, Mick looked to the monitors. For the most part, the city was deserted. Sarah's warning had been heard by the city and most people, in an effort to keep safe, were hiding in their homes or wherever could offer them shelter. No one wanted to be on the street, in Oedius' path.

However, Oedius herself had finally come out, and while she wasn't doing anything yet, her mere presence suggested the Rangers needed to act. They had to stop her, before things were worse.

"Rangers," Mick called to the team and the seven of them nodded wordlessly before they rushed out. Mrs. Maxwell held her husband's hand tight as fear consumed her. What if this was the last time she saw her son?

That same though crossed everyone's minds.


	7. A Good Or Stupid Plan

This was it. Sarah could feel it in her bones. This was the end of her days as a Ranger. Whether or not she lived to tell the tale was still up in the air, but she knew, after this battle, it would be over.

She and the Rangers arrived downtown. They were already morphed, with all the Power Stars they could carry. Oedius wasn't strong like Galvanax, but her cunning, her wit, and her willingness to do whatever needed to be done made her far more dangerous.

At least with Galvanax, if they could find a way to overpower him, the Rangers were likely to win. With Oedius, that had to outsmart her. They had to be several steps ahead of her.

That was much easier said than done. Until now, Oedius had always been able to stay ahead of them.

Sarah's blood boiled just thinking of all the ways she had hurt them. While it was Sarah's own technology that Galvanax used in the clone attack, Oedius managed to save her father, taking him hostage until he agreed to work with her. She had done the same with Levi, but stealing his memories instead and planting them in a robot she used to infiltrate the Rangers. Losing his brother, though Aiden was never real, had hurt Brody a lot. Sarah still remembered how he refused to believe something might not be right with Aiden, despite all the evidence, because he was so desperate for family.

She remembered Oedius manipulating that, using Brody's pain to her advantage.

She remembered how, with Aiden's help, Oedius managed to kill Kelly's father and Jordan. While Kelly and her father were already estranged by that point, losing a parent still hurt. It was a different kind of pain, one Sarah could only now understand, but it was still hurtful.

Worse, though, and Kelly would agree, was Jordan's death. A young boy would grow up without his father because Oedius liked to play games. A young boy would lose out on a lifetime of love and support from a caring parent because Oedius had her own agenda.

Sarah remembered vividly when she learned that Oedius was the one who killed Anne. She took a mother away from Hayley and Kelly without even a drop of remorse. Even worse, she used Bill to pick the exact right target. She used Sarah's father, knowing his betrayal would hurt the Rangers, and knowing that Anne's death would create the most pain and grief among the team.

And still, Oedius didn't stop. As Bill tried to leave her, having finally learned that she would never repay him for his loyalty, rather than let him go, Oedius killed him. She threw a bomb, made a building fall on him, Jenny and Sarah, killing Sarah's parents and leaving her in the hospital to recover for weeks.

As if that wasn't enough, Oedius struck again, threatening to kill Sarah once more, and anyone who stood in her way. She nearly ended Gia's life for a second time, almost taking a mother away from her daughter.

After all that, Oedius still stood in the city. All the death, the pain, and Oedius wasn't ready to give up. She would take the Power Stars, no matter the cost. The one advantage the Rangers had, and it wasn't much, was that now, they understood that. Oedius wouldn't take mercy on them.

Or… would she?

Sarah looked to her team as Brody announced their arrival, threatening Oedius by telling her this was her end. It was tough talk, but they needed her to know they weren't scared. She wouldn't get the satisfaction of ever thinking she terrified them.

As Brody did that, Sarah glanced at her team and remembered what else Oedius had done. With her help, Oedius managed to use a time machine to send Brody, Preston, Calvin, Hayley, Levi and Kelly into the future. Sarah hadn't seen for herself what happened, but she heard the stories. She heard the Rangers say Oedius didn't want them dead. Their Power Stars, though it gave them incredible powers, needed them alive. They gave life to the Stars and in return, the Stars granted them with their Ranger suits, weapons and skills.

Sarah knew what needed to be done.

Oedius called her servants to help her with the fight. She didn't need to gloat that she had beaten the Rangers on her own. As long as she won, she didn't care how the fight took place. Anyone who chose to betray her, she could take care of later. Badonna, as well as some other monsters appeared. Brody made the call for the others to take them on while he focused on Oedius. As red, and as leader, it only seemed natural he take the toughest opponent.

But Sarah had another plan.

"I've got Oedius," she said. Brody looked to her and while her helmet blocked him from reading her face, he could only imagine what was going through her head.

"We don't need a grudge match, Sarah."

"I know," Sarah nodded. This would be revenge, but Sarah would be smart about it. She had to avenge her parents. She had to show Oedius that her greatest victories were what would be her undoing in the end.

Sarah knew exactly how to do that, and there wasn't time to share her plan with Brody. If anything, it was best no one else know what was happening. Oedius had a habit of knowing what would happen, what the Rangers would do next. Sarah needed to be unpredictable.

"Fine," Brody trusted his team, though he was a little hesitant about letting them take such a huge risk. He hadn't been comfortable with the idea of letting Sarah and Preston continue to help him back when they first met. Trouble would follow him and he didn't want anyone getting hurt because of him. Back then, he had nothing to lose.

But Sarah and Preston stood by him then. They knew the risks, and suffered from them as a result, but they continued to put their faith in him as a leader. He had to return that faith with some of his own.

"Be safe," he told her. Sarah nodded, then turned to her girlfriend.

"Kel, a hand?"

"How about one of those missiles?" Kelly asked as she activated one of the upgrades Sarah had installed in her chair. Though she didn't have the use of her legs, and the agility that came with being able to move, duck and dodge, her chair more than made up for it with the weapons upgrade Sarah had installed. It could hover, allowing Kelly to keep some of her agility by moving across any terrain with ease. Sarah had also installed blasters, which Kelly could use when enemies were at a distance, and there were spots for any weapon Kelly might need for close combat when her fists just wouldn't do. All of this was activated as soon as Kelly morphed.

She fired one of the missiles at Oedius, blasting the overgrown fox back by several feet, buying her and Sarah some time to come together while Brody went to face his own monster. Sarah stood next to her girlfriend as Oedius took a moment to get back to her feet.

"You have to trust me," she said to the green Ranger. Kelly looked up.

"You know I do."

"I mean really trust me."

"Are you going to do something stupid?"

"Depends on if this works or not," Sarah said. "But you have to trust that I know what I'm doing, and I'm almost certain it will work."

"I guess I don't have any better plans than the one you have in your head that you didn't tell me about," Kelly nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you. Just don't make me regret it."

Sarah gave a smile and a nod to Kelly and then rushed towards Oedius just as the monster got to her feet. With her Ninja Blade, she swung for Oedius. The white fox caught the weapon in her hand and grasped it tightly. Her rough skin kept the blade from opening a wound. Oedius laughed as Sarah tried to free her weapon. She kicked the pink Ranger in the stomach. As Sarah dropped to her knees, Kelly launched herself at the monster. She tackled her and slashed across her arm with her own sword. Oedius let out a cry of pain, and then a smirk.

"It's going to take far more than that to hurt me."

"I'm well aware," Kelly nodded. She repositioned her chair so she could face Oedius as Sarah stood next to her. "This plan of yours…"

"There's no time," Sarah shook her head. She wouldn't let Oedius get even a small hint of what she was planning. Oedius with information was too dangerous, and Sarah needed to win for good.

She rushed to Oedius again, this time using her blaster to fire at the monster as she got closer. Oedius managed to avoid most of the shots and when Sarah was close enough she reached out, grabbed the pink Ranger by the neck and quickly threw her back into the ground. Sarah landed at her feet, her head having hit the ground. The pink Ranger lay there, groaning in pain.

Kelly saw this and while she knew Sarah's Ranger helmet would protect her head, any injury, even minor, was a huge risk for the pink Ranger. She didn't want to give Oedius time to make it worse and rushed for the monster again, pushing her away to give Sarah some time to come to her senses.

As Kelly kept Oedius distracted, and the rest of the monsters were busy with the other Rangers, Sarah sat up, taking a minute to breathe. Her plan was risky, but so far, it was proving itself to be worthwhile. She had confirmed her initial theory. Although Kelly had been quick to act, keeping Oedius away from Sarah and giving her time to recover, there was a moment, however brief, where Oedius could have done some real damage.

Oedius was no stranger to killing Ranger families, but since the Rangers had travelled to the future, Oedius hadn't tried to kill them. Instead, her goal was focused on taking their Power Stars.

Looking to the other battles happening, Sarah could see that while the Rangers looked like they were in a fight for their lives, none of the blows against them seemed lethal. It was almost like the monsters working for Oedius were under strict orders not to kill. Injure or disable was still on the table, but death wasn't an end the Rangers were likely to meet if Oedius had her way.

So, Sarah wouldn't give Oedius her way. Feigning that the last blow had done a lot more harm than it hard, Sarah slowly, and shakily rose to her feet. Oedius had just overpowered Kelly, and the green Ranger was working on righting her chair and finding her balance. For the moment, while Kelly was helpless, Oedius didn't attack. Instead, she seemed to be bragging about how much the Rangers would suffer once she won.

"Hey, Oedius!" Sarah shouted, stealing the monster's attention before she rushed into the fight against. She threw a punch, which Oedius caught, but Sarah lifted her feet, kicking the monster in the stomach. As Oedius stumbled back, Sarah swung at her with her blade, further injuring the arm that Kelly had already struck. Oedius cried out in pain and grabbed her arm as it started to bleed. The pain frustrated her and without thinking, she struck at Sarah, hitting whatever she could. Sarah intentionally put her head in the way. Everyone, including Oedius, knew it was her weakest point.

She received a powerful hit to the head. Sarah felt dizzy and nauseous at once, but she knew she would be fine. Her helmet took most of the impact. Oedius didn't need to know that, though. Sarah intentionally powered down and landed on the ground, unmoving.

"It's a stupid plan, Sarah," Kelly shouted as she came to her girlfriend's defense, trying to keep Oedius busy. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, hoping to see any sign of life in her girlfriend to indicate she would be okay, even if not well enough to fight. When Sarah still wasn't moving, and it looked like she wasn't breathing, Kelly lost her focus. Oedius ripped her from her chair and threw her across the street. Preston's magic meant the chair followed her and landed in a spot where Kelly could use it to get herself back in, but by now she was too far. Oedius was standing right over Sarah, looking down at what appeared to be a lifeless pink Ranger.

"That's enough," she suddenly shouted and all the fights stopped. Rangers and monsters looked to Oedius with some confusion. "We've made our point. You Rangers have 48 hours to surrender, or we will kill again."

With that, Oedius disappeared. Kelly moved quickly to her girlfriend's side, as did the others. Brody leaned over Sarah.

"She's still breathing," he said. "Sarah? Can you hear me?"

Sarah didn't respond. Brody felt for her breath again. It was definitely there, but she still didn't look well.

"Let's take her back," Calvin suggested. He reached down to lift Sarah, but Kelly grabbed his arm.

"You have to be careful," she reminded him. "I don't want us both to need a chair."

"I'd rather she be in a chair than dead," Calvin said. "If she's still breathing, maybe one of the others can help."

Kelly let go of Calvin's hand and let him pick up Sarah before they all rushed back to base.

-Ninja-Steel-

On Oedius' ship, Emma had a front row seat to the battle. She watched Oedius take on the pink and green Rangers and her stomach turned when it appeared Oedius won. However, Emma had also seen something she didn't quite expect.

When Oedius returned, Emma looked to the monster.

"I thought you were after the Power Stars," she said.

"The pink Star is worthless to me," Oedius shook her head.

"Don't you need all of them?"

"Five, plus the green one, will be more than enough for what I want to do," Oedius said.

"And what's wrong with pink?" Emma asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "As a former pink Ranger, I have to say, I'm a bit offended."

"I don't need it!" Oedius shouted, then turned to one of the Kudabots, "Get me some bandages. Those Rangers are fighting with a lot of passion today. I'll need to make sure I'm ready."

"I don't understand, Madam Oedius," Badonna said while Oedius took a seat in her throne to wait for the bandages to come. "You insisted we weren't allowed to kill the pink Ranger. But you…"

"I have my own plans," Oedius growled. "If any of you kill any of the Rangers, you won't live long enough to explain yourselves."

"But you…"

"Am I understood?"

"Yes, of course Madam Oedius," Badonna said with a nod, then turned away.


	8. One Step Ahead

Calvin had the fright of his life as he arrived in Ninja Ops, still carried a motionless Sarah in his arms – or at least, he thought she was motionless.

They were returning from a fight with Oedius and her monsters. It was believed to be the fight to end all fights. Sarah had taken a hard blow to the head, and with her previous head injuries, there was a lot to be concerned about. When she didn't move and didn't respond to any stimulation, the Rangers had to rush to bring her back, hoping that since she was still breathing, there was something they could do to save her.

Apparently, any rescue efforts weren't necessary when, as soon as they arrived in Ninja Ops, Calvin saw Sarah open her eyes and she smiled at him. The surprise of her eyes opening so suddenly, the panic already coursing through his body from the worry he felt for her, and the adrenaline from the fight all combined to give him a terrible fright. When he dropped her, the others all started to yell at him, but Sarah's groan and ow alerted them to the fact that she was okay.

"What the hell?" Calvin shouted as Sarah got back to her feet, rubbing her butt after a hard landing. The others all looked confused.

"I just needed to get back to Ninja Ops," Sarah told him, then looked around at the others. "Oedius can't know I'm okay."

"You're okay?" Kelly asked, a little unsure. She had seen the hit Sarah took. She knew the Ranger suit would protect her, but Sarah had already died once from a lot less.

"I am. Well, enough for part two of my plan."

"The stupid plan?" Kelly frowned.

"It's working."

"You scared us half to death," Hayley scolded her. "We're getting our asses kicked and we thought for sure we lost you."

"I needed you to think that," Sarah assured them. "If you thought it, Oedius definitely did. She called off the fight, just like I knew she would."

"This is such a stupid plan," Kelly shook her head, then glared at her girlfriend. "You better explain it to me now or…"

"You guys were in the future," Sarah said. "You already know Oedius needs us alive to get the power from our Stars. Otherwise, they're worthless to her."

"Do she know that yet?" Levi asked. Sarah nodded her head.

"She does. She had a few opportunities to finish me off. I could have died a couple times in that fight, but Oedius' hesitation kept me alive."

"And your heroic girlfriend," Kelly muttered. "You mean that whole time, you were trying to lose?"

"Oedius is holding back," Sarah said. "She can't kill us if she wants to take over the planet and she knows it. I'm the only one who can die from even the softest blow. When Oedius thought she accidentally killed me, that's when she called off the fight. She had to recalculate her moves."

"Do you think she actually thinks you're dead, though?" Brody asked. "Oedius has been one step ahead of us this whole time…"

Sarah took her Power Star from her pocket and showed it off with a smirk. "She had more than enough time to take this before retreating and she didn't. Her whole objective is to steal the Power Stars. Do you really think she would have forgotten it?"

"She left it behind on purpose," Preston concluded and Sarah smiled at him.

"So your theory is right," Hayley nodded. "But then if you show up to the fight next time…"

"I won't," Sarah smirked. "I think this is our chance to be one step ahead of Oedius. If she thinks I'm dead, she'll have no reason to think I'm planning anything."

"And what are you planning?" Brody asked.

"A coup," Sarah said. "But it'll only work if I get some help."

"Help from…?"

"Them," Sarah said and pointed to the three former Rangers in the room. "Shane, Gia, Serena, I know I can't ask you to…"

"I'm in," Shane said, without needing to think about it. Oedius was responsible for his sister's death. It was a murder by her hands and Shane would do whatever needed to be done to ensure that was Oedius' biggest and final mistake. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I don't have powers, but…"

"Your ninja abilities will be enough," Sarah said with a smile, glad she would at least have her uncle's help. She hadn't doubted he would want to be by her side. He had already pushed for it earlier. She turned to Serena and Gia. While both had been enormous helps to the team, Sarah knew they had lives and families of their own. They had fought their own battles and won their own wars. It wouldn't be far to expect them to want to join another one, especially when there was so much at stake.

"Oedius has Emma," Gia nodded her head. "I can't go home, I can't look Joe or Ciara in the eyes ever again if I don't do something to bring her back. I'm in too."

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked her. Joe and Ciara had already lost Jordan and with Emma in danger, Gia and Jake were all the kids had. If Gia risked her life, there was a chance she could bring Emma home, but also a chance that the kids would be left with only Jake. Gia nodded again, confirming her decision.

"I guess I don't want to be left out," Serena said with a shrug. "James will have a few words for me when I get home but he did marry me knowing I meddle in other people's business and get myself in trouble for it. Besides, I am responsible for the wellbeing of half this rag-tag team."

"I'm not in high school anymore," Gia rolled her eyes. "You are not my protector."

"It's cute you think you grow out of it," Serena smirked.

"I have my own kids," Gia frowned, then she pointed at Sarah. "I've taken in this one."

"So cute," Serena smirked again.

"This one?" Sarah glared at Gia, until Kelly tapped on her arm. Sarah turned to her girlfriend.

"What do we do, then?" she asked and Sarah saw her team was waiting for her to share her idea. She gave a nod.

"Oedius brought her team with her to fight us," Sarah said. "If she does that again, that'll mean her ship is pretty empty. We can do a quick survey, find the best spots to hideout and even look for Emma, see if we can't get her to join us."

"And us?" Brody asked.

"The longer you can keep Oedius and her team in a fight, the better," Sarah said. "And it's up to you to really sell my death. Avenge me. Make Oedius think killing me was her biggest mistake."

"Do we kill her?" Calvin frowned.

"I mean, if you can," Sarah chuckled. "But if you can't, that's fine. I just need time."

"You're not taking her on yourself, are you?" Hayley asked. Sarah shook her head as she pointed to her team of former Rangers.

"I have them," Sarah said. "Besides, if you fight long enough for Oedius to want to retreat, she'll be tired. And if you sell my death, she really won't be expecting us to show up on the ship. She'll be caught off guard and I think that's the edge we need."

"If the six of us can't beat her, though, what makes you think you can?" Levi asked.

"I'll send you our location once we're in position," Sarah promised her team. "When I do that, you'll know to let Oedius retreat whenever she wants. When she does, or if you have to first, head back to base. Give her enough time to get back to her ship and run into us. Then you join. She won't see it coming, and she'll be against ten of us, maybe eleven if we can find Emma, and that should seal her fate."

"Will this really work?" Preston asked. He looked to the rest of the team.

"It's the only plan we have," Brody shrugged. "And the only time I think we're actually a step ahead of Oedius."

"And this is the only chance we have," Levi nodded. "It's only a matter of time before Oedius realizes Sarah isn't actually dead, and we can't pull the same stunt twice."

"Go big or go home, I guess," Calvin breathed out a heavy sigh.

"We'll continue to keep an eye on things here," Mick promised for himself and the parents, who despite their worry, gave a nod to assure their kids everything would be alright on their end.

"Alright team. Let's do this!" Brody said with a smile.


	9. Sneaking Through The Ship

As Sarah had planned, Oedius took her monsters with her to fight the Rangers, leaving her ship rather exposed. There were still Kudabots and Basherbots crawling around, patrolling for anything unusual, but not much more than that.

It was a little strange, leading this new team. While she had worked with each of the other Rangers before, this wasn't the team she was used to. She always felt like it was Preston watching her back, or Calvin who was ready to run into battle with her. Now, she had Gia, Serena and Shane.

It was also strange because of everyone, she had the least experience. Her team was still current. Gia, who was most recent, had already been retired for three years, having served as a Ranger for two before that. Since retirement, she worked as a Silver Guardian, continuing in the spirit of a Ranger by protecting people from themselves and from monsters who threatened them.

Serena had retired from being a Ranger five years before. She had served as the white Samurai for about a year before that, but trained her whole life for the role. Since retiring, Serena had helped out the Megaforce team by mentoring Gia out of difficult situations they had yet to talk about with Sarah, and Serena also talked about helping the Dino Charge team from afar by protecting and teaching their youngest member.

Shane had retired from being a Ranger fifteen years before after serving as a Ranger for a year. Before that, he had been studying at the Wind Ninja Academy for a year. Since retiring, he had taken on the role of a Sensei at the Academy, teaching young Ninjas to develop their skills.

Sarah had become a Ranger just under two years before. Before that, she was just a regular high school student. However, this was her plan. Oedius was her enemy. Despite their experiences, Gia, Serena and Shane were more than happy to let Sarah lead.

Sarah remembered the ship's layout from the last time she had been inside. With Kelly and Preston, she had worked to destroy the ship, killing most of the monsters inside and around. Oedius had managed to survive, but few others had. Sarah didn't think pulling off the same stunt twice would work, but she was almost certain Oedius wouldn't expect an ambush, particularly when she believed that the person ambushing her was dead.

She led her team through the hallways, making sure not to be seen by any of the monsters on patrol. They couldn't risk being seen and having one of them tell Oedius that Sarah was still alive and she had a team of Rangers in the ship.

"The control room should be this way," Sarah told them and quickly crossed the hallway when the coast was clear. The others followed her, moving as quietly as they could while Sarah tried to unlock the door to the control room. She punched in a couple of codes, but nothing seemed to work.

"It's probably too thick to kick down," Shane said. "Not to mention the attention it would draw."

"Is there another way in?" Serena suggested. Sarah tried to think, but the last time she had been in the ship, she hadn't gotten the time to check out the whole layout. She just knew her way in and out.

"Down the hallway, past the trash chute," Gia said. "It's a vent, but it might be big enough to crawl through."

"How do you know?" Shane frowned.

"When Tiger brought back all of Oedius' files, there was a blueprint of the ship," Gia told him. "Plus, when I was doing a body count, I had to make my way through the ship."

"And you remember an air vent?"

"Eidetic memory," Gia smirked and tapped her head. "It sucks when it gives you horribly realistic flashbacks of terrible memories, but it's awesome for remembering things like air vents and study material."

"I thought Serena was your TA in school," Shane frowned.

"Having a TA doesn't make you stupid," Gia said.

"I was more of a life coach," Serena smirked. "Gia needed as much help academically as Sarah does."

"Uh, guys," Sarah said. "I know the others are buying us time but I don't think this is a conversation we can afford. Can we talk super brains and stuff once the planet is saved?"

"Sorry," Shane chuckled. "So where's that vent?"

"Follow me," Gia said, taking the lead for now. She brought the Rangers down another hallway, moving as quietly as they could. They didn't want to been seen, and risk tipping Oedius off to their plans. Sarah knew that the only way this could work was if they finally got the upper hand on the fox. All this time, Oedius had been one step ahead of them. If they could sneak by her, just once, and leave her in the dark, it could be the one win they needed to end her threat for good.

When they reached the air vent, Gia pointed up to it. It was higher than Sarah expected, but with a boost, she was sure to reach it. Shane lifted her up first. Being the smallest, she was sure to fit. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but it wasn't a problem getting through.

"Go," Serena told Gia, who looked a little uncertain. They were roughly the same size, so there would be no issue with either one of them squeezing into the vent. However, Serena wanted to stay behind, just in case something happened. Though they were both retired Rangers, and both mothers with families waiting for them at home, the protective instinct was always there. Serena would always feel the need to look after Gia. "Keep the kid safe, got it?"

Gia nodded her head, agreeing to go because someone needed to be on the other side with Sarah. And, if Emma was anywhere on the ship, the control room was a likely place, especially since it was locked. Gia wanted to find Emma and wanted to take her home.

With Shane's help, she climbed up into the vent and through to the other side. Once she was gone, Serena turned to Shane.

"Looks pretty tight for us," she said after noticing Gia had to wiggle her way through. Shane, who was a bigger build that the three women, would have a difficult time, if he could even fit. "Wanna fuck this up somewhere else, and really hit Oedius where it hurts?"

"How?" Shane asked. He wasn't sure what else there was around the ship. Serena shrugged.

"Not sure, but do you think someone as cunning as Oedius would keep all her eggs in one basket?"

Shane shrugged his shoulders. Serena sent a quick text to Gia, informing her and Sarah that they were going to do a search of the ship since Shane wouldn't be likely to follow and then headed off.

Meanwhile, inside the vent, Sarah finally found her way to the other side, with Gia wiggling around behind her. Sarah checked through the grate to be sure there was no danger, then punched it open and let herself fall out the other end.

"You okay?" Gia called down. Sarah picked herself up off the floor and nodded her head. She checked her hand. She had cut herself slightly on the vent when she punched it open, but it wasn't too bad.

"I'm good."

Gia let herself fall through to the other side and hit the ground a bit more gracefully that Sarah did. As she dusted herself off, she heard her name and Sarah's being called by a voice she recognized well. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked over to see Emma.

"You're okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma nodded. Gia raced over with Sarah, who began inspecting Emma's prison for any way to break her out. "Oedius is more interested in Princess Emma than anything."

"Princess Emma? Why?"

"She knows Earth will be weak when she takes it over," Emma said. "She wants to use Princess Emma to keep others from invading. You know, since everyone's so scared of me."

"Will I ever hear that story?" Sarah asked as she glanced up from her work. The locks were rather complicated, but since they were written in an alien language that Sarah could read, it made the task a little easier. Sarah just had to figure out the right combination to get the lock to open to free Emma.

"We're not giving you any ideas," Gia shook her head.

"Even when this is over and I'm a retired Ranger?"

"Do I look retired to you?" Gia said with a small chuckle, then gestured around to the ship. Sarah gave a quick nod.

"Okay, I guess there's no true retirement, but… really? Never?"

"Can you just get her out?" Gia asked and Sarah went back to work. Emma looked to the pink Ranger, a little curious. She had seen Oedius kill Sarah, and knew of Sarah's vulnerabilities. It seemed impossible for the pink Ranger to be part of her rescue mission, yet here she was, looking as healthy as ever.

"Will I ever get your resurrection story?"

"After I kill her later for faking us out," Gia said. "She pulls a stunt like faking her own death, freaks everyone out at the worst time, and then wants to know all the shit I used to do."

"Got it!" Sarah smirked as the lock fell apart and the door to Emma's prison opened. Emma stepped out and took in a deep breath. "Shane and Serena are somewhere on the ship. If we can find them, and find somewhere to ambush Oedius, we can end all this before dinner."

"We can ambush her right here," Emma suggested. "Oedius spends the most time here. Right after your last fight, she stormed in here carelessly. She'd never expect me to be free or for the four of you to be with me."

"I'll work on unlocking the door, then," Sarah said. "Gia, can you tell the others to gather whatever weapons they can get. This time, when I blow this ship to pieces, I want it to literally be blown to pieces."


	10. Past Choices

Being in the Ranger base and having a screen to watch the fight was both a comfort and a source of panic for Mrs. Maxwell. She liked that she got to hear updates straight from her son's mouth about how things were going as he spoke with his team, and with Mick and RedBot, who were also in the base. She liked knowing that the Rangers always attacked together, with a plan, and how they would support and defend each other. She took comfort in knowing that the Ranger team really was a team. They would win together or lose together.

She just hoped they won. The part that scared her about being able to watch the fight was that she knew that was her boy taking those hits. When the yellow Ranger let out a cry of pain, took a hard hit or fell to the ground, Mrs. Maxwell would feel her heart stop. The yellow Ranger wasn't just a hero in a mask protecting the city. The yellow Ranger was her pride and joy – her only son. She couldn't afford to have anything happen to him.

All the parents, whether they had just found out about their child's Ranger duties, or knew for a while, were in the base, watching the fight with bated breath. Sometimes, Dane would explain some of the Rangers strategies, or assure the parents that an injury looked worse than it actually was. Mrs. Maxwell wanted to listen and focus, but it was becoming too hard.

She glanced to the corner of the base. Everyone was gathered around the screen but one woman. Mrs. Maxwell wasn't too sure why she was here, but she seemed just as worried as everyone else.

Taking a break from the fight, Mrs. Maxwell sat next to the woman and introduced herself.

"I'm Jaime. Calvin's mom," she offered her hand. Kathryn looked to the hand nervously before shaking.

"Kathryn, Sarah's… birth mother."

"I didn't know Sarah was adopted."

"She wasn't," Kathryn shook her head. "Her real mom is her step-mother. She lived with her and her father, growing up."

"She didn't visit you?" Jaime asked.

"Couldn't risk being found," Kathryn answered. She started to play with her hands nervously, with was all Jaime had seen her do since they arrived. She knew bits and pieces about Calvin's friends, but he never spilled too many detail about their personal lives. All she and her husband cared about was that Calvin was hanging out with good people. There had been a quick minute where they doubted that was the case, when Calvin was in the hospital with bruises that Sarah had caused, but that was behind them. Calvin was a good kid, with good friends, and the Maxwell parents had friends of their own to manage.

"Oh?"

"She was better off," Kathryn said. "I know that now."

"Still, you must be worried sick about her," Jaime said. She glanced to the screen, where she could see Calvin, Hayley, Preston, Brody, Levi and Kelly all fighting for the city. Sarah was missing. She was on Oedius' ship, and there was no way to get any kind of visual, and they didn't want to risk tipping off Oedius with unnecessary audio. The Rangers, and the parents watching, had to trust that Sarah and her team were doing alright. "As hard as it is to know what's happening, not knowing might be worse."

Kathryn shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure she could claim fear like the other parents in the room. They were parents who had loved and cared for their children from the moment they were born. Parents who strived to give their children the best life possible. Kathryn had messed up twice with her kids, valuing herself over their wellbeing. When Thomas and Sarah were born, Kathryn would rather please random strangers than do what was best for her kids.

It was easier.

But now? Maybe it was a mid-life crisis, though she was sure that she was well beyond that point, given how she had abused her body over the years. Maybe, her maternal instincts took this long to kick in. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe, it was just the desire to finally be a better person. Either way, Kathryn wanted more. She wanted better for herself and better for the two children she selfishly brought into the world.

She wanted to make amends. Thomas ended up in foster care, with parents he didn't like, because of the choices she made. While life as a prostitute was good for her, some reflection on Kathryn's part got her to realize that being raised in a home with an abusive pimp, surrounded by drugs and people willing to have sex with anyone to fulfill a desire could be dangerous to children. It didn't matter how much she loved them, cared for them, or if she wanted the best for them. They were in danger, physically and emotionally. The State had been right to take them away.

But just because it was right, didn't mean it was good for her kids. Thomas suffered with his new homes. He hated having to be apart from his parents. He hated that he couldn't see them. He hated not having a family, not feeling like he belonged. He hated it so much, he would spend the rest of his life in a cell because of his efforts to fix things.

Sarah ended up in a better place, with loving parents, but Kathryn could only imagine there were some early memories that were difficult to erase. And, even if they were all gone, there were some much more recent ones that Kathryn did regret.

She needed to make things right. She couldn't do that if Sarah didn't return home. She would never earn forgiveness, and Sarah would never know that her mother did truly care for her, even if it was in a very messed up way.

"As long as she comes home," Kathryn said. Not knowing what was happening to Sarah right now was painful, but she did deserve it.

"Can I ask," Jaime said, hoping that if she kept talking, it would calm her fears a little. Right now, the Rangers were doing well. Oedius was distracted and while it looked like she had the upper hand, the Rangers were holding their own against her. Jaime didn't want to truly worry unless there was a real reason for it. "If this is too personal, you don't have to answer at all, but… why was Sarah's father in her life, but not you?"

"That's…" none of your business, is what Kathryn wanted to say. A reflex reaction from her time on the streets. Her go-to when someone was asking her too many questions.

However, part of making amends was being honest and open. "That's a long story."

"We have time," Jaime said. "At least, I think we do."

"You ever trade favours for money?" Kathryn asked. "Like, you know, shovel someone's driveway for a few bucks, wash their car or whatever?"

"Like… work?" Jaime asked. "I babysat when I was in high school and I have a job now. Did work get in the way?"

"My job wasn't exactly family-friendly," Kathryn answered.

"You put work ahead of Sarah?"

"In a way," Kathryn nodded, then took a deep breath. "I was a sex worker."

"Like a whore?"

"Please," Kathryn shook her head. "Whores give themselves away for free. I made a profit off myself."

"You're still sleeping with whoever, whenever," Jaime said with a shrug. "I don't see the difference."

"I found something I was good at and made money of it," Kathryn said. She was used to people looking down on her. With her line of work, it happened all the time. People thought she was less human because her career involved sex, instead of sitting at a desk. "It's really no different from any other job."

"It's dangerous," Jaime said.

"So is being a fire fighter."

"It's dirty."

"So is being a garbage man."

"It's… wrong."

"Isn't also wrong to keep someone dangerous off the streets? Cops and lawyers did that for my pimp and his friends all the time. Sometimes, legally."

"I… I just… I'm sorry but," Jaime stopped talking as she tried to get up. She hadn't expected this, and wasn't sure she wanted to continue the conversation, but Kathryn grabbed her by the arm. Jaime winced, thinking of what else her hand might have touched, but still turned to the other woman.

"I get it's not the perfect job," Kathryn said. "But the job itself… that wasn't the problem. It isn't the problem. My body, my choice, right?"

"Well, I guess but…"

"It's what comes with the job," Kathryn argued. "It's the drugs, the abusers. Raising a kid in a home with all of that… that's where I failed as a mother and as a person. That's what I want to try and make right."

"So… your pimp… he never forced you to have sex?"

"He did," Kathryn nodded her head. "Sometimes I wouldn't feel like working. Sick, tired, sore. I'm not saying Drex was the best pimp out there but most of the time, I was doing something I loved."

"I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this," Jaime said. "I just… I don't understand how someone would chose to…"

"Sometimes, it's the best choice you have," Kathryn said.

"Is that your defense with your daughter?" Jaime asked. "That you know it wasn't right for her, but it was the best choice?"

"I… I guess not," Kathryn shook her head. "I just… I don't know where to start yet. I hope when I see her… something will come out."

Kathryn glanced over to the screen that the fathers were watching with a heavy sigh. She still had no update on Sarah's team, but at least she could take some comfort knowing the others Rangers were doing their part.

"Right now, though, I'm just hoping I get a chance to even see her again. Even if she yells at me, or hates me, or throws me right back in prison."

"Sometimes, you can't make things right," Jaime said. She sat down next to Kathryn once again. "You were her mother. You were supposed to look after her. Even if that meant giving her up. You choose to be selfish. You're doing it now, too."

"I just…"

"I don't ask about Calvin's friends too much," Jaime shook her head. "I have a good kid, who usually makes good choices and who always means well. If he likes Sarah, she's got to be a good kid too. However, I do know, she's had it rough. Her parents died less than two years apart from each other while she's had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Do you really think you're doing the right thing by your daughter, who moved past you, by begging her to forgive you?"

"So, you're saying don't apologize?"

"Hell no," Jaime frowned. "I'm not saying don't apologize. You owe her the biggest apology you can make, and then some. I'm saying, you can't expect forgiveness. You can't expect to make things right for her. She's already done that. She's made her peace with the shit you put her through. If you really care for her, you won't have her dig all that up again."

"But I just…" Kathryn started to say before things started to look a little frantic over with the fathers. Mick started calling out to the Rangers, checking in on the to make sure they were alright. Groans and moans of pain could be heard over the communicators, but no one gave any indication that they would be alright. Jaime left Kathryn's side to check up on her son, calling for him to answer. It was moments still before they could answer.

"We're retreating," Brody said, and on the cameras the parents could see the Rangers slowly getting to their feet. In the background, Oedius had turned to walk away. Mick couldn't be sure, but if she was leaving the Rangers when they were weak, and since they were powered down, he could only assume she had taken their Power Stars.

He opened the communication to Sarah. "Sarah, it's Mick. The Rangers had to retreat. Oedius is on her way back to the ship, likely with the Power Stars. Are you ready?"

There was only static as a response. No one could be sure if Sarah was choosing not to respond, or if something happened.

"Sarah?" Mick called again, before he let it go. Sarah was supposed to be hiding, and the more he begged her to answer, the more likely he was to give away her position. "Let's hope this goes well."


	11. The Big Bang

Sarah had gotten Mick's update. Oedius had retreated from the battle and so was on her way back to the ship. She had gotten the doors to the main room to open, allowing Serena and Shane inside. They had gathered up a few weapons in the hopes of using them to stop Oedius once and for all.

"Do we know how many monsters are on board?" Gia asked Serena and Shane, who had been around the ship.

"We haven't seen anything but a few Basherbots and Kudabots," Shane answered. "I think this is the end game for Oedius too."

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Emma asked, turning to Sarah. She seemed to be the one in charge and she did know Oedius best. "Oedius has your friends' powers…"

"The Power Stars found a way to survive last time," Sarah said. "Brody even smashed his to pieces and it came back to him. I don't think we need to worry about them. Our goal should be to stop Oedius."

"You know her best," Serena said. "If you think you can handle her, we can keep those other monsters off your back."

"I can handle it," Sarah nodded.

"Then I guess it's time we get into position," Gia announced. She wasn't sure how long it would take Oedius to get back, so they needed to be quick. She and Emma went to hide, ducking behind a console while Shane and Serena tucked themselves around the corner. They could all see where Oedius and her monsters would enter the room and would be able to ambush her that way.

They would need to be quick about it, though. With Emma freed, her prison was empty. Oedius would be quick to notice that and know that something was amiss. The Rangers kept quiet, barely breathing so they would know the very second Oedius arrived.

Sarah morphed and hide in the shadows. Her bright pink Ranger suit didn't hide her completely but if Oedius' focus would be on the empty prison; the shadows were all Sarah would need.

It wasn't long before Oedius entered the ship. The Rangers could hear her coming down the hall. The monsters behind her were gloating about their victory and asking Oedius what she would do now that she had all available Power Stars in her hands. Oedius didn't respond though. Sarah wasn't sure if it was because she was bitter, having believed she lost the pink Power Star, or because she already had a suspicion that something was up.

When Oedius arrived in the main room, right away she noticed her prisoner was gone. The others jumped out of hiding, taking on her monsters to keep them busy as promised. When Oedius realized the ambush, she let out a growl. That was Sarah's cue to step out.

"Pink Ranger?" Oedius frowned and that was what Sarah wanted. Oedius had believed Sarah was dead. The plan, so far, had worked. Sarah had the surprise advantage.

"I have to admit, feels pretty good to finally be a step ahead," Sarah smirked.

"But I…"

Sarah tapped her helmet gently, smirking behind her helmet, "Yeah, death is a pretty easy thing to fake when you're fragile."

Oedius wasn't having it and Sarah knew she had to be careful. Pissing off the cunning fox, especially when she already had all the other Power Stars was dangerous. If Sarah didn't win this fight, it was the end game. All it would take now was a little mistake.

But Sarah was done making mistakes. She was done being one step behind Oedius and losing the people she loved because of it.

She rushed into the fight first, not wanting to give Oedius any leverage. She swung her blade, striking Oedius across the chest and the fight began. Blow for blow, Sarah and Oedius were matched. While the pink Ranger did have the element of surprise, Oedius had adapted quickly.

Though the fox had heavily relied on her cunning nature to keep ahead of the Rangers, she was a formidable fighter. She wasn't like Galvanax, who relied on his brute strength. It had been tough to overpower him, but once his strength wasn't a factor anymore, there was nothing else for him to rely on. Oedius had brains and brawn. Just because she had been outsmarted, didn't mean she was out of the game.

Fortunately, Sarah was built the same way. She was smart – smarter than most people she met. She had already skipped a grade in school and was still at the top of her class. She liked to spend her time focusing on engineering, and problem solving, and sharpening her mind. She liked puzzles and brain teasers and was always willing to learn more. At the same time, her smarts weren't at the expense of her physical strength. Even before becoming a Ranger, Sarah had been in good physical shape. She would workout, every day and loved to participate in sports. She liked the challenge that they provided for her mind and her body. Just like how she loved to work her brain, she loved to work her body as well. Sometimes, when she was stuck on something mentally, she would take a physical break. When her body was tired, it was time to work her mind again.

She was suited to both physical and mental strength. She could match Oedius' power and also analyze her moves, predicting what might come next. She wasn't perfect, and took a few hard hits as a result of a few mistakes, but there were a few good hits on her end too.

One thing that couldn't be denied though – Oedius' physiology was naturally stronger and faster. She was a different species – one Sarah didn't know much about. Oedius could survive strikes, stabs and jabs that would be lethal for Sarah, even with the Ranger suit. It would take a lot more strength and stamina from the pink Ranger to beat Oedius.

And that was starting to be the case. While Sarah wasn't out of the fight, she was finding herself running out of energy. She managed to duck a couple of lethal blows from the monster, but Oedius did get one good hit, then another, and then another. Sarah hit the ground, hard, and felt a little dizzy.

"Kid! You okay?" she heard Gia call out, though she wasn't sure from where. The room was spinning and there were too many monsters and people for Sarah to keep track.

"Yeah, I think."

"Not for long," Oedius said and Sarah found herself having to roll away from a stomp. Oedius wasn't using lethal force now and Sarah intended on that being her advantage. However, all was lost if Sarah was too weak or too slow to protect her Star.

Suddenly, there was a cry from somewhere in the room. Sarah wasn't sure who it was from, but it sounded painful. One of her teammates was hurt – she had no idea who, but that didn't matter. She didn't want to lose any of them. She didn't know Emma well, but she knew Emma's story. Emma lost her husband Jordan because of Oedius. As if that wasn't bad enough, the two of them had a little boy together. Joe would never see his father again. Sarah knew that pain all too well. Emma couldn't die. Joe needed his mother to come home.

Serena: Sarah couldn't lose her either. She was a mother as well. Sarah hadn't met Serena's kids, but based on how nurturing and loving Serena was as a TA, Sarah could only assume Serena was a great mother, and one that her kids would suffer without. Sarah knew that pain as well and couldn't very well let two innocent kids know what it was like to be motherless.

Gia had always been protective of Sarah, and had even taken the pink Ranger under her wing – acting as a mother figure now that Jenny was gone. While Gia would never replace Jenny, and Sarah would never consider her a mother, Sarah couldn't imagine losing another maternal figure in her life.

Shane – her guardian. Her last line of defense. If anything happened to Shane, Sarah had no idea what would become of her. While she was going to be eighteen very soon, and wouldn't need a new guardian, she also wouldn't have someone in her corner. While she was sure Aaron might help her out, or Dane might want to support her, or Calvin's parents would want to be there for her, none of them were family for her. Shane was her uncle.

Sarah couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose someone else she loved. She couldn't let anything to happen to any of them, or any of her friends. As Oedius lunged towards her, her aim to take the Power Star off her hands, Sarah felt something inside her awaken. This fight had to be all or nothing. No one else should have to feel the pain of losing someone they loved. Oedius had taken enough from her.

From the ground, Sarah kicked her legs up, smashing her heels into Oedius' chin with a painful kick. It was enough to knock the monster back, buying Sarah a moment to get to her feet. Sarah took a deep breath and the room stopped spinning. As she looked to Oedius, all she could see was pain.

She remembered the day she lost her father. While that was down to Galvanax, she knew Oedius had a part to play in the clones massacre. Oedius always had her hand in it somehow. When it was later discovered Oedius rescued her father, only to take him as a hostage, it confirmed Sarah's thinking. At the very least, Oedius knew what was happening, and took advantage for her own gain.

Oedius was responsible for Jordan's death. The Silver Guardian only wanted to help, and had saved Sarah a couple of times before his life was taken from him. Oedius was responsible for hurting Brody by fabricating a robot to take his brother's place and use Brody's desire to find his family against him. Oedius was responsible for that very same ploy the second time she tried it, when she used Sarah's own father to gain leverage on the Rangers. Sarah's blood boiled to think of Oedius as the master manipulator. She hated to imagine what her father must have gone through in order for it to be favourable for him to turn on his own daughter.

She remembered the explosion in the barn – how she lost both parents at once. She remembered suffering for weeks because of her injuries, but barely feeling the pain because of how broken her heart was. She remembered seeing Kelly, lying helplessly, lifelessly after Oedius attacked. While she would never devalue or underestimate her girlfriend, it was because of Oedius that Kelly did have limitations. The wheelchair, while it was a wonderful tool, was still an obstacle in a world catered to people who were able to walk.

Oedius was responsible for turning Drex into more of a monster than he already was. Oedius was responsible for Drex being able to get his hands on Kelly – triggering a lifetime of pain and nightmares.

No. Sarah couldn't hold back. Without any remorse, Oedius had attacked and hurt every single person Sarah loved. She had killed Anne, who had done absolutely nothing expect be the mother of two Rangers. Hayley and Kelly were still hurt by the lost of the only mother they had ever known. Oedius had hurt Calvin and Preston, sentencing him to kill Sarah, permanently leaving the guilt of betraying and hurting one of their friends on their mind. Oedius had kidnapped and tortured Levi.

Oedius would pay. Sarah would make sure of it. As Oedius prepared to return to the fight, Sarah knew she couldn't hold back any longer. Whether it killed her or not, she had to make sure that Oedius was done causing pain.

But that was Sarah's advantage. Oedius was stronger and smarter, but Oedius couldn't kill her – not if she wanted the full power of all six Power Stars. Sarah had nothing to lose anymore. She wasn't afraid of dying because if she lost, she had nothing left to live for anyway.

As Oedius threw a punch, Sarah intentionally put herself in harm's way. With her head so fragile and Oedius desperate for all the power, the monster had to pull back. That was Sarah's way in, as the pink Ranger began a barrage of attacks. From the left, the right, up, down, the front or behind, Sarah was everywhere and nowhere at once. And when Oedius tried to get back the upper hand, Sarah was ready for it. Her brain injury was now the only weapon she needed to stop Oedius for good.

Eventually, as the fight wore on, Sarah continued to be fuelled by her anger but Oedius was running on frustration. She was losing against one human and there was nothing that could be done about it. At this rate, the only way to stop Sarah was to kill her, and Oedius didn't want to risk the pink Power Star. She would need them all for complete domination. She couldn't let her frustration cost her in the long run.

It would be all or nothing.

Unfortunately, it was looking more like nothing to her. As Sarah kicked her in the chest, Oedius flew back, skidding across the floor. The Power Stars she had been carrying on her flew out from her pocket and scattered at the feet of the other Rangers. Emma, Gia, Shane and Serena picked them all up, determined to keep them from Oedius' hands.

That was all Sarah needed. As Oedius tried to get to her feet and catch her breath at once, Sarah raced to the command console. The ship was programed to blow itself to pieces, Sarah just needed to activate it.

"Run! Go!" she shouted to her teammates. They didn't look like they wanted to leave. They couldn't bring themselves to leave her behind. Sarah knew how to make them leave. "Your kids need you. Trust me!"

Emma had to run. She hated to leave a Ranger behind but her son at home needed her more. Joe had already lost his father. More than ever, Emma needed to do everything she could to ensure she was there for him growing up. Sarah was a Ranger. Though it wasn't looking good, Emma had to trust that she could look after herself. So Emma turned to leave, running as quickly as she could.

Gia saw Emma go and knew why her best friend left. She thought of Joe and knew Emma made the right choice. The little boy had suffered when he learned his father would never come home, and to this day he still had those scars. It hurt Gia to see someone she loved hurt so much, especially when she knew that pain.

She couldn't do that to her daughter. Ciara was fortunate her mother had survived that attack. She didn't have to endure that same pain, and Gia wanted to make sure she never would. She followed her best friend out, hoping she wasn't making the wrong call for Sarah.

"GO!" Sarah shouted again when Serena and Shane hesitated. For the same reason as Emma and Gia, Serena did decide to run. Sarah had a plan. Serena had to trust it would work, and she had to put her own kids first.

For Shane, it wasn't so simple. Sarah was his kid now. He couldn't leave her behind. He would let his sister down, he would let Sarah down if he didn't protect her.

"Dammit," Sarah muttered. She needed Shane to leave. She would blow the ship up and they couldn't be together slowing each other down when it happened.

So, she powered down, held her star tight and then tossed it to her uncle. "Get it away from Oedius! NOW!"

"Sarah…"

"If this doesn't work, she can use that against us," Sarah told him. "Get it somewhere safe!"

"But Sarah!"

"Please, Shane!" she shouted. Oedius was finally on her feet. She looked to Shane, knowing he had the Star and knowing that his teammates who retreated had the other Stars.

Then the countdown started. If Shane didn't leave the ship now, he was sure to die. Gripping the star tight, he had to run. Sarah's sacrifice would be in vain if he didn't. He had to pray that his niece knew what she was doing.

Shane ran as fast as he could from the ship, following Emma, Gia and Serena out. The countdown was long, hopefully long enough for Sarah to get out as well. He could hear Oedius following behind him.

"Please, please," he begged as he saw the door to exit. He jumped out, just as the other Rangers arrived. His teammates were passing them their Stars.

The young Ninjas looked tired – beaten – but they were here to finish things. As they took hold of their Stars, they morphed. They quickly summoned their weapons and combined their Powers – however, they were one short. Without the pink Star, they wouldn't have all the power they needed to end this fight.

"Come on, Sarah," Shane begged. His feet hit the grass. He looked behind him. Oedius was running out. She had abandoned her fight with Sarah to get the Power Stars. It was all she wanted.

She would never get them. Determined to keep the pink Star safe, for Sarah, Shane would do anything it took to keep the pink Star out of Oedius' hands.

Suddenly, the star came to life. Shane felt its power first in his hand, then through his whole body. When he looked down, he saw the pink Spandex had covered him, head to toe. This was it. The was the power the Rangers needed.

"Sarah?" Kelly asked. Shane pointed inside the ship. Kelly raced inside, blowing past Oedius. Since Kelly's star wasn't connected to the Nexus, Oedius couldn't care less about it now. She needed the original six.

Shane ran to join the other Ninjas, using his new pink Powers to help them with their final attack.

The moment Oedius stepped off the ship, a huge explosion filled the area. The blast from the Rangers final attack hit her from the front, while the ship blowing up hit her from behind. All the Rangers, Serena, Gia and Emma were blown back by the combined explosion and blacked out before their bodies hit the ground again.

-Ninja-Steel-

The monsters had blocked her from retreating. Sarah hadn't been too surprised by this. She knew to expect resistance. However, she was surprised at how quickly the energy left her body once Oedius was gone. She had been using her rage for monster to keep her body going when every part of her wanted to quit. When Oedius left, so had her strength. She couldn't get through the wall of loyal monsters. They were willing to die for Oedius.

But Sarah knew her plan would work. The ship was timed to explode before Oedius could get far. It would knock her out, and if it didn't kill her, Sarah knew the other Rangers would. They would show up. They would make sure she was dead. They wouldn't make the same mistake last time. She wouldn't slip through the cracks.

Just as Sarah made peace with her end, and even as excitement started to build about seeing her mother again, Kelly broke through the wall of monsters, shooting at them with the blasters built into her chair. Kelly made her way over to Sarah, who hugged her tightly.

"Let's get out of here," Kelly said, unaware of just how low the countdown was. Sarah wasn't even sure how much longer they had, as the countdown was spoken, not written.

"I don't think there's time," Sarah shook her head. Even if they had a minute, the monsters weren't dead. They would still fight, and if Sarah and Kelly couldn't get past them, they were dead.

Kelly glanced over her shoulder, saw the monsters getting to their feet and knew she and Sarah were trapped. Fortunately, there was one more thing left that they could do. Sarah had done a lot of upgrades to Kelly's chair when morphed, hoping to make up for Kelly's inability to walk, run and kick by adding gadgets and weapons. Most of them were suitable for long range attacks, since Kelly was very limited when it came to hand-to-hand combat. However, just in case it came down to it, Sarah had installed one very important feature.

It wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing. Kelly activated a shield. It drew its energy from all the weapons, rendering Kelly almost completely immobile and unable to attack, but right now, defense was all they needed. Kelly then threw herself out of the chair and onto Sarah, covering her girlfriend with her own body. Since Kelly was morphed, she could take more of a hit than Sarah. With the chair nearby and the Ranger suit, they would have some protection from the blast.


	12. A Risky Choice

Weeks after the blast, the Romero home had become a central meeting point for all the Rangers and their families. While it was out of the way for most of them, it was the only home where they could get complete privacy and the only place that could house everyone at once.

Dane had welcomed anyone with a Ranger past, but mostly, it was his sons' team and their families that stayed. While the hospitals had promised to do all they could to help the Rangers in their recovery after Oedius' defeat, there was nothing like home.

While the Rangers rested up, their parents helped with some of the chores around the house. Dane mostly took care of the outdoor housework. He knew it wouldn't do too much to help with recovery, but he figured if the outside of the home looked nice, it would encourage the Rangers to get a little bit of fresh air occasionally. Getting outside was good therapy for the mind, and right now the Rangers had a lot they needed to consider. What would life be like now that Oedius was gone? Were their any monsters that did escape the ship? What would happen to the Ninja Steel? To them?

Calvin's mother kept the inside of the house tidy. It was no easy feat, with so many people living inside it, many of whom couldn't pick up after themselves. She cooked healthy meals to give the Rangers energy, certain that weeks of nothing but junk food would only stall their recovery. She did check up on the Rangers, especially Calvin and Hayley from time to time, but she trusted that her husband and Aaron had things covered there. Occasionally she did have to jump in. Nothing was quite as tender as a mother's touch, so when bandages or dressings needed to be changed, or when the Rangers needed some comfort, she was more than happy to step it up.

Calvin's father and Aaron took care of the Rangers needs. If they wanted juice, the men would run and grab it. If they lost the remote to their TVs, the men would help them look. If they needed their pillows fluffed, or wanted to go for a walk, or needed help getting up to go to the bathroom, the fathers were there. It was a job that got easier day to day, as the Rangers got stronger, but the fathers were willing to help with everything until there wasn't a scratch or a bruise on any of the Rangers.

While Shane had suffered a few injuries of his own in the final battle, he was better off than the other Rangers. He had suffered from enough injuries in his career as a Ranger, as well as in his life as a Ninja that he knew how to bounce back quickly. While he wasn't quite up to the level of daily chores or playing nurse, there was still something he could do.

He took a homemade meal from Jaime that had been packed up nicely. He thanked her before he made his way out to his car. He started it up and drove into the city. He arrived at the hospital and pulled into the visitor's parking lot. His identity as a Ranger hadn't been revealed, but his connection to Rangers had, and so he did his best to walk to the hospital without being noticed.

While most of the Rangers opted to recover at home, some didn't have much of a choice but to stay in the hospital. With her head injury, Sarah was always at a higher risk for complications after a battle. Usually, she took care not to rattle herself too much, but after being in the center of an explosion, she had definitely been a little shaken. Fortunately, she had been cleared to return home by doctors a few days ago. Shane knew she wasn't quite out of the woods yet, but with a brain injury, she never really would be. Being able to return home and being told to be careful was always the best outcome Sarah would get.

However, Sarah wasn't home. She opted to stay in the hospital for one very good reason. Sarah hadn't suffered much from the explosion, despite being in the center of it, thanks to Kelly. The green Ranger, knowing of the danger, rushed into the ship as the countdown was going and used every bit of power she had to shield Sarah from the blast. It saved the pink Ranger, but took a heavy toll on Green.

Kelly's condition was also sensitive, causing her to require more treatment that the others, even if she suffered the same injuries. Scans to her spine needed to be done, and observation needed to take place to ensure that Kelly's paralysis didn't worsen, and until she woke up, there was really no telling whether the blast had furthered her paralysis, or whether she could return to life as normal.

With so much up in the air, Sarah didn't want to leave the hospital, or Kelly's side. It reassured Shane somewhat that even after being cleared, Sarah was surrounded by doctors, but he did wish that she would come home.

He entered Kelly's room and set the homemade meal down. Sarah would eat when she was hungry, and as long as he could always take the dirty, empty Tupperware home to be washed, he didn't care when she ate.

"Any updates?" he asked.

"Doctors just keep saying any day now," Sarah told him. Since Kelly had used her body as a shield for Sarah, she had suffered from most of the burns and took most of the shrapnel. With injuries so severe, the doctors opted for a medically induced coma to help her rest and recover. Her body had done just that, and now everyone was just waiting for her to come out of the coma.

"It'll happen," Shane said. Sarah shook her head.

"We don't know that for sure."

"Sarah…"

"Wouldn't it be just the perfect ending?" Sarah asked, rolling her eyes. "When the pink Power Star chose me, I had a happy family? By the time it's done with me, both my parents and my girlfriend are dead?"

"Her Ranger suit…"

"Is man-made."

"So were some others," Shane reminded her. "Lightspeed, Operation Overdrive…"

"Government and billionaire," Sarah said. "I built her Power Star in my garage. It's not going to offer as much protection and I told her that."

"She survived."

"Her body wasn't blown to pieces," Sarah shook her head. "Until she wakes up, we can't say she survived."

Sarah had been like this for a few days now. Shane really couldn't blame her, but he did miss the positive Sarah that he had always known. There wasn't a problem she couldn't overcome. Unfortunately, recently, there had been too many bad endings. It was starting to feel like when things got bad, they wouldn't get better again. Even Shane had his doubts, but they couldn't both be negative.

He sat down next to his niece and placed his hand on her lap as he tried to think of something to say that would make her feel better. Something that she couldn't refute.

"At least she saved you."

"Dad was misguided, but he thought he was trying to protect me," Sarah rolled her eyes. "Mom died because she protected me."

"Your mother prevented a tragedy from hurting more than it did."

"For who?" Sarah grumbled.

"For me," Shane said. "For Porter, for my parents. We all love you."

"You'd move on."

"Your friends," Shane added to the list. While Sarah was considered family by everyone, there was a disconnect. Sarah only saw the Clarkes for holidays and big events. He knew if he wanted to reach her, he would have to hit a little closer to home. "I'm sure as much as they loved Jenny, they loved you a lot more. They need you around a lot more."

"They'd be fine."

"What about this planet?" Shane asked. "Sarah, we all did our part, but I don't know if anyone could have figured out how to blow up that ship as quickly as you. And in a final battle, timing is everything. And that plan? Have Oedius think you're out of the picture so she doesn't expect you to show up? No one else could have pulled that off."

"Anyone can pretend to die."

"Not with the believability you had," Shane said. "You played a big part in the world's safety today. If your mother hadn't protected you, there's no telling if Oedius would be gone right now or not."

"Fine," Sarah said, mostly to get her uncle to stop rather than because he was convincing her of anything. "Maybe it's better to have one person die instead of two. That still doesn't stop the fact that literally everyone is dying for me. Jordan, dad, Anne, mom…"

"Jordan didn't die protecting you. Anne…"

"Jordan died because Kelly's dad was so convinced I turned his daughter into a lesbian that shit hit the fan and Jordan was just trying to keep up. And if it weren't for my cloning tech, Anne would…"

"I thought we finally settled on the clone thing. How other people use your technology isn't on you."

"But it's the reason everything is fucked up!" Sarah shouted. "If I didn't make those clones, Oedius never would have gotten her hands on dad! He never would have been forced to choose that Anne dies, and Oedius never would have killed mom and him in that explosion. And Kelly's dad probably only decided to move here because of the clones. Because that's a story, and that was all he freaking cared about."

"Sarah…"

"And now Kelly," Sarah said and turned to her girlfriend. "She threw herself on top of me to protect me. She risked her life for mine. Another person I loved who threw her life away for me. When does it stop?"

Shane looked to Kelly as he thought back to that day. Sarah had gotten him to run, leaving her to fend for herself. To this day, it was the hardest thing he had to do, and if she hadn't of given him the pink Power Star, he would have stayed. He would have protected her.

So, he was glad someone who could stay had. He was glad that Kelly had rushed in. If she hadn't, he was certain Sarah would be dead.

"You're looking at it all wrong," he told Sarah, and she looked at him like she was ready to kill him. "When I left, you had no protection. That explosion would have killed you. I'm certain we would have been lucky to find a body, and I'm sure you know how much it sucks to think someone's dead, but never be completely sure."

"But she…"

"Kelly didn't throw her life away for you," Shane shook his head. "Sarah, Kelly gave you the best shot of spending the rest of your lives together. If she didn't run in. You'd be dead for sure. Torn apart forever. Kelly took a risk, but it was the only thing she could do that would give you a fighting chance together."

"At least if it was me…"

"Then Kelly would be hurting like you are," Shane told Sarah. "Only, she wouldn't have the same hope you have. As hard as it is to believe, there's a chance Kelly's going to be okay. You have a real shot of getting her back. If she hadn't jumped in, Kelly wouldn't be at your bedside, she'd be at your grave."

Sarah nodded and choked back a few tears. Shane pulled her in close and hugged her tight.

"I am sorry, Sarah," he said. "I'm sorry this is happening again. I'm sorry all we can do is sit, wait, and hope. But I'm not sorry Kelly took that risk, and I'm sure, if she could talk right now, she would say the same thing."

"I can't lose someone else," Sarah said, and Shane nodded his head. He already knew that. Though he would always make sure that Sarah never felt alone, losing Kelly would break her. They loved each other, they were partners. They had overcome so much already. Shane barely had that with Skyla. He had fallen deeply for someone he barely knew, but the connection he felt to her was so powerful. If he could hurt, as much as he had, after such a short time, he couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose a true partner. Someone whose life had already begun to intertwine with your own.

So he held Sarah close, since it was all he could do for her right now, and he promised her she wouldn't be alone.


	13. Wake Up Call

Life didn't come with too many pure joys. There were a handful; enough to keep you hoping for another. However, they were still so few, and sometimes so far between, that when a pure joy did emerge, it could consume you.

The first time Aaron felt pure joy was when he fell in love with Anne. The way they connected, almost from the moment their eyes met, filled him with love and hope he never thought possible. And while she filled his life with love and happiness, pure joy didn't hit him again until they got married. Something about knowing that he had someone to love, for the rest of his life, filled him with that same joy all over again.

He felt pure joy when he learned he was going to be a father, and again when Hayley was born. He got inklings of pure joy every time Hayley reached a milestone growing up. He had been sure that he would feel pure joy again when she got married, likely to Calvin, who he loved like a son and who he trusted would always care for and love his daughter the way she deserved.

So, it was a surprise to him when a phone call brought on that pure joy earlier than he anticipated. Two words he never thought would fill him with so much happiness managed to wash away all the fear, the doubt, and the weight that he had been carrying with him for so long.

"_She's awake."_

He didn't know how to react at first. The joy consumed him, paralysing him for a moment as his body and brain tried to process the information. Was it true? Could it really be happening? He wasn't dreaming?

When it all sunk in, he smiled, brightly, from ear to ear. He allowed the joy to take over. Like a kid at Christmas, he started to bounce around the Romero home.

"She's awake!" he announced, first to the Maxwell parents who were helping to get breakfast on the table for the house. He used the same words that brought him joy, hoping he could share that spark with everyone else. He didn't bother explaining those two words, or even providing more detail. He just spoke them, repeated them, and then moved on to someone else.

Dane was just outside. Aaron could see him through the front door window. So he burst out the door, and shouted to Dane, and Mick and Redbot, who were keeping busy by helping: "She's awake!"

That was all he needed to say. He closed the door as he raced upstairs to tell the Rangers themselves. He went into Brody and Levi's room first, finding them out of bed and getting dressed. "She's awake!" he called out, then rushed over to the next room, where Preston, Hayley and Calvin were also up and getting ready for the day. "She's awake!"

He left their doors open and raced downstairs to grab his car keys. If she was awake, he now wanted to see it for himself. Jaime stopped him from racing out the door without more details.

"Kelly's awake?" she asked. It seemed like the obvious answer, but to be sure, she needed to hear those words themselves. Aaron nodded his head.

"That was the hospital that called," she said. "She's not just responsive, she's awake! She's talking, she's sitting up! She's eating!"

"So, she'll be okay?" Hayley asked, having raced down the stairs, beating the boys by several steps as they all hurried down.

"Looks like it," Aaron nodded. "We have to go! Hurry!"

"I'll pack up breakfast," Jaime said. Just because there was good news, that didn't mean she wanted anyone to miss out on a healthy meal. She figured they could race down to the hospital, be with Kelly, and they could enjoy a nice meal together – finally. "Go on ahead."

Aaron didn't need to be told twice. While Kelly wasn't his daughter by blood, and while she had only been in his life a short time, she had become an important part of his world. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to celebrate all of her pure joys with her. He wanted the best for her.

So, to hear that she would be okay was wonderful news. Better than wonderful; it was life-changing. He couldn't wait and raced out to the car, taking with him only the people who could keep up. Hayley, despite still being a little tender, moved fast enough to jump into the front seat next to her father. Calvin hopped in right behind her.

Not wanting to miss out, Mick managed to snag the last spot in the car before Aaron took off, leaving the others to pile into Dane's truck. Calvin left Nitro behind for his parents, ensuring they had a way to get to the hospital as well.

The last time Aaron remembered rushing to the hospital for a good reason was when Hayley was born. He and Anne were both first time parents, and their own parents hadn't been able to make it to the birth like they planned. Unsure of what to expect, Aaron wanted to be with doctors as quickly as he could to make sure it was all smooth sailing.

Rushing to the hospital now felt like rushing in for the birth all over again. Though he already knew Kelly, this was going to be the new start to their lives together as a family.

Having just come out of a coma, Kelly wasn't ready for too much excitement. Aaron was first to go into her room while Calvin, Mick and Hayley waited outside. Sarah was there to catch them up, though the smile on her face told them everything.

"She's really fine?" Hayley wanted to believe it, but she really couldn't. Not until she saw it for herself. She knew she would next, but for now had to settle with Sarah's word.

"Better than fine," Sarah smiled. "The doctors are saying there's no signs of long-term damage. She should make a full recovery."

"This might be a stupid question," Calvin said. "But full recovery like wheelchair full, or full like miracle recovery full?"

"Still with the wheelchair," Sarah clarified, "But there's no further damage to her spine and no signs of head trauma. The burns are the worst of it."

"So, her suit saved her then," Mick smiled. While he hadn't been to the hospital often, he did know a lot of Sarah's doubts concerning Kelly's recoveries were about the fact that Kelly's Ranger suit, unlike the others, was man-made. It was nowhere near as powerful and didn't offer nearly as much protection. However, given that Kelly was going to be okay, it looked like the suit was enough.

Aaron stepped out of the room at this point, allowing Hayley to make her way inside to see her sister. Aaron then announced he would head back down to the waiting room to show the others the way. Once he was gone, Sarah asked if Mick would be fine waiting by himself, then pulled Calvin aside.

"Before you see Kelly, can I ask a huge favour?"

"Before I see her?" Calvin frowned. "I may not be a girlfriend or sister, but I was worried too."

"I know. But Kelly's still a little confused and scared from everything and I don't want her to be alone. While everyone's getting a chance to welcome her back, this is the only time I have to step away."

"My parents are bringing Nitro if you wanna drive somewhere," Calvin said. "Ask them for the keys and…"

"Epileptic and not yet cleared to drive," Sarah reminded him. "Besides, I want a second opinion."

"On?"

"Not here. I don't wanna ruin the surprise," Sarah said. "Please, just… come with me?"

"You can't ask Hayley when she's done? Don't you think Kelly will notice I'm not there?"

"Aaron and Hayley need to stay, in case Kelly needs someone while I'm gone. Please, Cal. I'm begging. I'll even pay for the ice-cream."

"This must be serious," Calvin said. "Alright, I'll come. But you have to buy me a double scoop at least."

"Deal!"


	14. Something Simple

Calvin looked to the ring displays before him. They were way more than anything he or Sarah could afford, combined, but it was interesting to see what his options were down the road. There were a lot more choices than he originally imagined. When he thought engagement rings, he just imagined a shiny rock on a ring.

Fortunately, though, for him, any engagement, whether to Hayley or anyone else, was still years away. He didn't have to worry about this stuff just yet. He wanted to become a mechanic, and Hayley talked about going to college. They always imagined finishing school and settling into their lives before getting anywhere near wedding plans.

True to her nature, though, Sarah was in a rush. Calvin could understand the excitement in a way, but hoped Sarah wasn't setting herself up for struggles down the road.

"Are you sure this is something you want to do?" he asked. Sarah glanced up from the bracelets she was looking at, which were about all she could afford, and nodded her head.

"I've never been more sure of anything," she said. "And I'm generally pretty decisive."

"It's just… it's a big commitment," Calvin reminded her. "And you're barely eighteen."

"Close enough," Sarah shrugged. She was still unwavering, despite Calvin's doubts for her. It was a good sign, at least.

"You want to be an engineer," Calvin told her. "Kelly wants to study journalism and write."

"Our kids will be well rounded," Sarah chuckled. Calvin choked a little, hearing that.

"Kids?"

"We both want them."

"What if life takes you in different directions?" Calvin asked. Sarah finally turned to him, giving him her full attention.

"We survived when her parents kicked her out and when they attacked me for loving her," Sarah said. "She chose me over her family."

"They were toxic."

"They were still all she knew," Sarah said. "It's hard to walk away from that. I remember coming out to mom and being a little freaked, and that was when I still called her my step-mother."

"Hayley and I have had some rough times too," Calvin said. "The unplanned pregnancy, and me bringing it up again, publicly."

"So, then you get it… kind of," Sarah said. Calvin frowned.

"Kind of?"

"Straight people problems."

"Unplanned pregnancies and abortions are pretty big problems," Calvin told her. "Something you don't have to worry about at all. Lesbian solutions."

"Fine, I'll give you that one," Sarah said. "But, Kelly and I have straight people problems too, and we have gay people problems."

"How do you have straight people problems?" Calvin asked.

"Well, theoretically, you might get jealous when you see another guy flirting with Hayley, right?" Sarah asked him and Calvin nodded his head. "I don't have to worry about any guys flirting with Kelly, but, theoretically, I might get jealous if I see another girl. Straight people problem, converted into couple people problem."

"That's one example."

"Straight to couple people problem number two: life. Will college pull us apart? Will all the new people, the new experiences, the growing, strain what we have or make it stronger? Straight to couple problems number three: money. Four: kids. However, there's not really a natural way for us to have kids together. So, after we've agreed we want kids, and how many, we have to decide how to have them and if they're biological, who carries them? You already know if you want biological kids, Hayley carries them."

"What's so tough about choosing?"

"Do you remember why Hayley didn't choose to adopt out your kid and chose abortion instead?"

"Yeah."

"That."

"Oh."

"We have most of the straight people problems, and then gay people problems as well. Like, having to come out to everyone, all the time. Every time I tell someone about my girlfriend, I'm coming out and risking getting punched in the face, or spit on, or getting the look."

"Jerks."

"Agreed," Sarah nodded. "You don't have that."

"My girlfriend is black," Calvin said. "We've been judged and threatened."

"So, then you do get it," Sarah smiled. "You get that outside pressure trying to pull you apart, but choosing each other because it feels right."

"Hayley's the best thing that ever happened to me," Calvin nodded. "People who try to tell me otherwise just make me love her more."

"So, imagine all that," Sarah said. "But add in not knowing if you would ever get to see her, hold her again. Before we knew if Kelly would wake up… I just… I didn't know if I could move on from her. Ever. I knew, if she woke up, if I got her back, I never wanted to let her go. Everything got brighter the moment I knew she would be okay and nothing, not paralysis, or brain injuries, or hateful families or world-destroying monsters could keep me from wanting to be by her side no matter what. I choose her, over everything else, because without her, there's nothing."

Calvin nodded his head. He understood that much. He felt the same way for Hayley and knew she was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. While they weren't ready for an engagement yet. He knew that was the direction they were headed towards.

Love brought Sarah and Kelly together and life forced them to grow up quickly. Neither of them had much family left and both had overcome tremendous obstacles. All they had through the rough times was each other.

He pointed to a silver bracelet. It was simple, but still beautiful. Kelly could wear it with everything and still show it off if she wanted, but it was still subtle enough that if she felt she needed, she could hide it. He knew for Sarah and Kelly's relationship, there might be times when regardless of their love or their courage, they might not want it to be known, publicly, that they were together. And since it was simple, it was a great contrast to their relationship so far. Everything had been so complicated – exaggerated. Finally, something wasn't.

"My thoughts exactly," Sarah said before she looked to the lady behind the counter. "This one."

"She'll love it," the woman said and took the bracelet to wrap it up, while Sarah went around to pay.


	15. The Final Chapter

It was a day Kelly never saw coming, but always dreamed of: the woman of her dreams had proposed.

Her stay in the hospital had been a long one. As it turned out, recovering from being in the centre of a massive explosion took time. There was plenty of rehabilitation that needed to be done and a lot of aches and pains.

Eventually, Kelly was discharged, with Sarah, still her girlfriend, having never left her side.

After leaving the hospital, life began to move on slowly for all the Rangers. They were back in the public eye, first as celebrities while the city celebrated a victory against Oedius, and then later on as friendly faces. There were people who kept their distance from the Rangers, angry they had lost loved ones in the war, but no one challenged the Rangers. It seemed that after the monsters were gone, there was an understanding that all wars has casualties and in the end, the death of a few was nothing compared to the death of many.

So the Rangers were able to finish high school like normal teenagers and attended their graduation. It was after the ceremony that Sarah popped the question. Kelly knew her answer right away. Sarah barely had to ask. They were young, but they had endured trials and challenges some couples would never even dream of facing that matured their relationship far beyond its chronological time.

Right away, Kelly wanted to share her news with everyone she loved and fortunately, an after party was underway at the Romero home. Sarah and Kelly rushed over to surprise their friends.  
No one doubted the girls would be together forever.

Aaron was over the moon when he heard the news, while Kelly wasn't biologically his daughter, she was in every other sense of the word. He remembered the day Hayley brought her home, asking for a temporary place to stay. Aaron and Anne knew it would be permanent. Kelly was a young woman, kicked out of her home by her own parents because of who she has fallen in love with. They didn't care about their daughter as much as their own backwards values and it was Kelly who suffered. Aaron remembered wishing Kelly could find happiness again and so was thrilled to hear love had won. Not to mention, his family was growing. He was excited to have Sarah as a daughter-in-law.

Shane was happy too, but more for Sarah than for himself, which he figured was the bulk of parenting. Now engaged, Sarah would likely want to start her life with her fiancée. If they could, they would get a place together. That would mean he wouldn't see his niece, the only remaining piece of his sister, every day. It hurt to think he wouldn't be needed.

But to see Sarah so happy, after everything, diminished that pain. This was what Shane has always wanted for his niece. He has come to make her life easier and better and the fact that he wasn't needed anymore meant he had done his job well. He knew he had done well by Jenny and couldn't wait to plan a wedding.

All the Rangers were excited. Calvin was relieved. He had known about the engagement for a while now but had been sworn to secrecy, even from Hayley. Now that he finally got to celebrate, he couldn't wait to get started and he was already planning out his takeover on the dance floor. Levi on the other hand was planning his set list, assuming Kelly and Sarah would ask him to perform something for the wedding.

As the celebrations and the after party started to wind down, the parents began to clean up the mess, allowing the Rangers some time to themselves.

"I guess this is what we would call the last chapter," Kelly stated to her friends as they sat on the porch. "We're not Rangers anymore. That story is over."

"Books have sequels," Preston told her. "Mine's gonna be magic."

"Literal magic or..."

"Literal. I still haven't heard from my parents and I don't think I ever will again."

"That sucks," Kelly said sympathetically.

"I thought it might," Preston nodded, "but you know… it doesn't. In hindsight, my parents were never there for me growing up and pushed their own values on me, not even caring what I wanted."

"Here, here!" Kelly chuckles as she raised her cup. "Take it from me, it gets better."

"I know it does. With my parents out of the way, I don't feel like I have to please them anymore. There's a magic school in Briarwood that I thought was interesting and right before graduation I found out I was accepted. I start in the fall."

"Can you make money doing that?" Hayley asked.

"I'll make ends meet for a while," Preston said. "It's not something I'm used to but I'll be doing something that makes me happy. Eventually I hope that magic can support me. You know, street performances, birthday parties, big events. It's not the Tien lifestyle but it's what I want."

"So you're moving to Briarwood then?" Sarah asked.

"I'll be back all the time to plan your wedding with you. What kind of maid of honour would I be if I didn't?"

"I wish I could be more help with wedding plans," Levi said with a sigh. "But two years is a long time to be away from music. Being a known Ranger helped explain my absence but I'm still worried if I don't get back to work soon, I'm worried there'll be no one waiting for me."

"We get it," Kelly assures him. "Just come back with the perfect wedding playlist and that'll be enough!"

"Deal! Oh, but I'm taking dad and Brody with me."

"You are?" Brody asked. Levi wrapped his arm around his little brother.

"Are you crazy? I finally get you both back and you think I'm gonna up and leave you behind? It's not the life we're used to but..."

"I can't wait to see what it's like making music and touring," Brody smiled.

"So, is anyone staying in town?" Calvin asked. "Or should I have started looking for work anywhere other than Summer Cove? You guys know there are good mechanics needed everywhere, right?"

"Aren't you staying, Hayl?" Kelly asked.

"I start college this summer in Turtle Cove," Hayley said. "I'm thinking of becoming a vet and they have the best program."

"You never mentioned being a vet," Kelly frowned.

"You missed it," Sarah grumbled. "It was all she could talk about after we stopped Oedius."

"Really?"

"A documentary came out about Summer Cove surviving the Power Rangers. There was one part about pets and it broke my heart."

"Pets?"

"It wasn't just people who died."

"Wow... that killed the mood," Kelly huffed.

"It got me thinking how lucky we are that we never had to worry about Kody. If I can, I wanna help other people keep their pets for as long as possible. And I feel bad leaving Calvin behind but at least he'll have you..."

Hayley trailed off when Sarah and Kelly started to shake their heads. To her knowledge, plans for school or work had fallen through while Kelly recovered and she assumed they would stick to their fallback of attending Summer Cove Community College for the first year.

"I got an amazing job offer," Sarah said. "It's in Coral Harbour."

"Coral Harbour!" Calvin cried out, eyes wide. "Well, see you at the wedding I guess."

"What's the job?" Preston asked.

"Not sure yet. They recruited me. It's a company called Grid Battleforce."

"Never heard of it," Levi shook his head.

"Me neither, but the salary is incredible! It's enough to save for a wedding and support Kelly and me comfortably."

"In other words: the wedding gig is paid?" Levi chuckled. 

"I'm following her out there," Kelly said. "But we will have the wedding in Summer Cove." 

"So, I'm alone?" Calvin asked with a pout. "Just me unless you come to visit?" 

"We'll visit as often as we can," Preston promised for the team. 

"Yeah, I know," Calvin said with a smile. While it was going to be tough with his girlfriend and his best friends so far away, he was still happy for all of them. Their lives were moving on in the best way possible. "Besides, we're always bonded. And I'll be busy learning the ropes. I know Nitro pretty well but fixing other engines? That's gonna take up a lot of my time."

"This really is the last chapter then," Kelly said.

"Thoughts on a sequel?" Brody asked. Kelly shook her head.

"None yet, but who knows where life might take us. Maybe Coral Harbour will inspired some new ideas. Who knows, maybe some monsters will start popping up in Coral Harbour? And I can cover all the stories."

"Unlikely," Levi chuckled. "It's nowhere near here. And what could anyone want from Coral Harbour?"


End file.
